


All human wisdom is contained in these two words 'wait' and 'hope' -The Count of Monte Cristo

by FanFiction_Artist_Prototype



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alya Césaire Bashing, But Fanon has my heart, Character Bashing, Chloè redemption, Cousins, Developing Friendships, Don't Like Don't Read, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Fanon Félix (Miraculous Ladybug), Felix Graham De Vanly is a good antagonist, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Gremlin energy, Lila Rossi Lies, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Finds Out First, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Miraculous Side Effects, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Redemption, Salt, Salty Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24189244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFiction_Artist_Prototype/pseuds/FanFiction_Artist_Prototype
Summary: Félix, despite popular opinion saying otherwise, was not a black hearted spiteful narcissist all the time. On the contrary, Fèlix was merely someone who preferred to keep himself to himself with the occasional bitter scheme appearing here or there.He intends to keep his head down as he moves to France with his mother, however after ending up in the same class as his cousin, his plans change.Adrien Agreste makes him want to tear his hair out, his cousins weak willed, pushover, nature aggravates him to no end. Gabriel Agreste makes his blood boil, but he'll have to play the darling nephew to get away with what he has planned.Lila Rossi is a major roadblock that frustrates him to no end. And she'll need to be removed if he's to have any semblance of peace whilst in Paris.Marinette Dupain-Cheng just might be the solution he'd been looking for and he'll be damned if he lets the opportunity pass him by.He just didn't expect things to go the way they did.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix (PV), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Cupla
Comments: 154
Kudos: 1165





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Got bored, wanted more Marinette/Felix stuff, read most of the already published fics so decided to write my own.
> 
> This is fanon Felix because while I like Canon Felix he doesn't work for the direction I decided to take this and there's no point trying to claim OOC Felix when I can just let you guys know he's fanon Felix.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is a slight bit OOC in this, but it's explained in the short segment that's in her POV!
> 
> Part 1!  
> Part 2 might take awhile or might even be considerably shorter, I don't know yet.

Félix would have rather not come to Dupont, but his mother was firm in her standing on the issue and nothing he'd done or offered to do seemed to be capable of changing her mind.

It was aggravating, to say the least, and upon learning his _dearest_ cousin would be in the same school as him (worse still the same damn class) it had taken all of his self control to not simply attempt to claim emancipation right then and there.

Why would he want to go and be anywhere near _Adrien_ of all people? There was a constant rivalry between the two of them and in comparison to his _spineless_ , _oblivious_ , **_fool_** of a cousin Felix was the worst arsehole to ever walk the streets of London.

Felix had a spine and wasn't afraid to speak without objections caused by emotional attachments to sully his opinion unlike Adrien who for as long as he could remember wanted to solve every argument with a hand shake and 'I'm sorry's exchanged between parties.

How they were derived, at least in some small part, from the same blood astonished him.

Seeing Adrien be a total doormat in a school setting wasn't even disappointing; for all that he detested his uncle and his superiority complex he'd at least given Félix a heads up about the fact that Adrien was going to have a side piece with an additional warning as to the girls possessive streak.

Lila Rossi saw herself as queen bee of her class and it showed, there was nothing further from describing her character than humble. Félix had only been in the courtyard for five minutes and he'd already heard her name drop three celebrities; three celebrities that logically had no connection to the topic of conversation.

So not only was she a braggart, she wasn't a particularly well informed one.

He could feel a headache already start to form. Dupont was supposedly a school the rising stars of the generation went to perfect their craft - be it culinary arts or business studies - but all he could see were sheep and a wolf licking her chops with a death grip on his cousin.

A cousin that had thankfully _not_ noticed him yet.

If he had to deal with Adrien it would be minimal and on his own terms. Knowing the other teen Félix would find himself saddled with Rossi because the coward didn't know any other way to get out of situations than to push the attention to someone else.

Félix had to wonder how many friends the other had lost over the years for that particular fault. Considering Bourgeois was nowhere in sight of Adrien he suspected it was at least one.

"Excuse me?"

He didn't flinch, because that wasn't something he did, but Félix would admit to being startled by the sudden appearance of somewhat familiar face next to him. It took a few seconds of studying for him to recognize the short girl as the one that had introduced herself as class president when he'd come in for his tour last weekend.

"Dupain-Cheng, it's good to see you again."

It wasn't a lie, the girl seemed to have a decent head on her shoulders and hadn't attempted to force friendship on Felix during their last encounter. She was proving herself to be a tolerable existence but his verdict would be withheld until he'd seen her in a school setting.

"Same to you Cupla." Her tone of voice confused him momentarily, the resigned almost pissed off tone was a far cry from the cordial with a hint of friendliness tone she'd had last time they spoke, "Though I can't say the same for everyone else."

Félix was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to hear that last part. It sounded far too bitter for something to be thrown into causal conversation. He let her take a long draw from her thermos before he spoke.

"I was wondering if I could take up your time at lunch."

An eyebrow was raised at him and he was slowly starting to decide that this more raw Dupain-Cheng was far better than the inorganic descriptions and characterization Adrien had given her. The other boy hadn't done her any justice.

"Trying to make a move Cupla?" There was a hint of mirth in her tone as she kept her eyebrow raised and took another long drink, "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know of any decent establishments within walking distance to acquire lunch from? I refuse to stoop to canteen food and I remember you mentioning a few patisserie's nearby."

She gave a small laugh which confused him, not seeing the humour in his question. Dupain-Cheng seemed to be an enigma, changing from one second to the next from a pissed off teenager, to a polite guide to a teasing acquaintance.

"I know a place, great quality but even better prices." He was most definitely missing out on a joke but it didn't seem callous so he merely filed the thought away for a later time, "Would you like to walk with class to me? Your cousin is looking over and you made it clear you were not happy about being in the same class as him."

Now she's changed from a teasing acquaintance back to the polite guide persona. Interesting.

Checking her words for himself he sees Adrien looking over at them with his mouth twisted in what can only be referred to as the beginnings of a scowl. It irritates him actually, seeing that expression on the others face.

Adrien has _everything_ that Félix has ever wanted and he hasn't had to work for any of it. And as soon as he sees him with his classmate he acts annoyed at the sight of him? Félix understands they aren't best friends but who did his cousin think he was getting annoyed at Félix's mere presence?

( _His thoughts hiss at him that he's doing the same thing, asking him who he is to judge when the mere sight of his cousin is making him internally recoil?)_

"I think I'll take you up on that." Anything to get away from where Adrien and the gaggle of sheep with their wolf mistress is stalking over, "Though I must admit to being under the impression the two of you were friends."

For the second time today Dupain-Cheng makes him startle as she links their arms in an act of assertiveness he knows he should come to expect from her.

"I have no interest in being friends with a coward." It's so blunt that Félix can't help but draw amusement from it. He notices the tiny smile on Dupain-Cheng's lips as she mutters the words - he thinks this may be their own little private joke.

The comment draws a huff from him and he allows himself to be escorted straight past the flock without even a glance at them and up the stairs.

"You have a keen eye Dupain-Cheng."

His mother would be appalled that the first person he's making a concrete effort to take to is in agreement with him of his 'unsavoury' opinion of Adrien but his mother doesn't need to know the perfect little class president she mused about being such a _kind girl_ shares his thoughts.

Félix isn't intending to become friends with Dupain-Cheng so his mother won't be hearing about the girl unless it's something she has something for him to relay to his mother. That or wherever this place she's taking him at lunch is worth his family's notoriety.

"Unfortunately it isn't a common thing around here." Again, he thinks he isn't supposed to hear the comment and so doesn't react to it.

Their classroom was close to the stairs which was both a blessing and a curse because it meant they got to class quickly but it also meant that they were the first to arrive being greeted by an empty room with no teacher in sight.

-*-

In a state of utter bewilderment - that Dupain-Cheng's nonchalance horrifyingly tells him this situation is a regular occurrence - Félix spends the next five minutes _after_ entering an empty classroom being given a quick recap of information he's certain his teacher should be telling him.

Just as Dupain-Cheng finishes handing him library copies of all the required textbooks for today's timetable their classmates decide to grace them with their presence.

There's an almost unnoticeable shift in how Dupain-Cheng holds herself as the rest of the class saunter into the room, as she continues her explanation of how different teachers run their classes and all the expectations they have, and Félix isn't sure how to feel about the observation that Dupain-Cheng doesn't feel _safe_ in the room now.

In a room with a near stranger? Certainly not at ease but also definitely not looking like she wanted to bolt. In a room steadily filling up with classmates she'd confessed to being classmates with for a few years now? Her body language said enough about how uneasy and exposed she felt.

Before coming to France his mother had enrolled him in numerous courses surrounding emotions and body language - her logic being if he knew how to understand the subtle tells he could either attempt to prevent an akuma or know when to leave.

It was sound advice in retrospect and he was grateful for it.

Because all of Dupain-Cheng's body language is _screaming_ that she needs to get away, that she doesn't feel safe. Her face remains the same polite pleasant mask that it had first slipped to when she had passed her classmates in the courtyard though.

Any trace of the raw, sarcastic girl who had called his cousin out under her breath is gone. Replaced by a mere imitation.

Studying her as she explains more about the business studies teacher he realises why Adrien's descriptions hadn't originally matched up. It seemed Dupain-Cheng was _much more_ than she appeared because this robotic state lines up perfectly with how his cousin had described her.

He wondered, has Adrien ever seen Dupain-Cheng sarcastic and pissed off? Have any of his new classmates seen her like that?

If not Félix will not find himself feeling smug, no. He'll just be curious. After all, he's a lover of riddles and puzzles and it seems Dupain-Cheng might just be his biggest challenge yet.

"Marinette and Mr. Cupla was it? It's lovely to see the two of you getting along."

Turning his head towards the door he spots the teacher from last weekend enter. He'd hoped that because they hadn't been properly introduced she was just some poor staff member who had to full the obligatory staff overseer position. Like every other hope he's had since coming to Paris, it's squashed.

"Dupain-Cheng was simply giving me all the basic information. I would not go as far as to say we were getting along."

Perhaps it's cold, perhaps it's on the precipice of restrained politeness and snide rudeness but Félix hates assumptions being made about himself and he's finding he also dislikes the way Dupain-Cheng is even more on edge now that the _teacher_ is in the room.

Where the hell had his mother enrolled him?

The woman's (Bustier his mind supplies) lip twitches betraying the rest of her calm and friendly visage.

"Ah well, that's unfortunate. I would have expected as class president you would have already been on the way to welcoming the new student Marinette."

There's a subtle dig in those words and the way the girl next to him squares her shoulders he can tell that this (like the blatant disregard for punctuality from the teacher) is also a common thing.

"Could we begin the lesson now Mme. Bustier? We are already a few minutes behind schedule."

The words get her to back down from whatever battle of wills she and Dupain-Cheng are having and an overly cheery smile is shot his way that makes Félix long for this time to be over.

"Alright everyone," the room doesn't quiet down and Dupain-Cheng is ushered to her seat (stepping over obviously placed trip hazards that the teacher blatantly ignores) while Félix is forced to stay at the front of the room, "we have a new student joining us today!"

She raises her voice, just about beating Adrien's arm accessory who's holding court, and grabs the students attention. They still don't fully quiet down but the volume simmers down.

"Mr. Cupla is joining us from London and is fluent in French so we won't have any miscommunication issues!" She claps her hands and Félix doesn't try to hide the displeasure from his face, "Mr. Cupla do you have words for your new classmates?"

Surveying the entire room he takes in the unique cast in the room, not missing how they all seem to be orbiting around the girl holding court. Bourgeois has a look of familiarity on her face and aside from Dupain-Cheng seems to be one of the only ones not swept up in her stories.

"My name is Félix Cupla, I have no interest in making friends so don't attempt to befriend me." With his curt answer left to hang in the air he makes his way up the stairs to the available seat next to Dupain-Cheng.

Originally he would have taken the empty seat on the row in front of her, but seeing how the class are all stuck in a spider's web he thinks it's in the best interest of his sanity to sit with someone he knows isn't as idiotic as his classmates are showing themselves to be.

"Ah, Mr. Cupla, we have a seating arrangement-"

"I'm aware, Mme. Bustier." He keeps his answer curt and concise, "Dupain-Cheng showed it to me and asked what free space I wished to occupy. Seeing as you're stressing that Dupain-Cheng help me assimilate I decided to sit next to her."

There are no more attempts to stop him or to disrupt his path bar a few suspicious gazes that he greets with a glare of his own. He's already starting to detest the class purely for their two-faced way of interacting with people.

When he gets to the top of the stairs Dupain-Cheng greets him with a look Félix can only describe as 'Welcome to Hell' before moving so that she can take the inside seat and he can take the outside seat.

It's a minor detail, one he'd offhandedly mentioned when they had been looking at the seating arrangements, but quite frankly he's impressed that she's so willing to give up her normal seat so quickly and without complaint to someone new.

Sliding into the seat he nods his thanks, getting another tired smile in return. Once he's sat down he expects registration to be taken, or at the least some kind of formal announcement time to begin - that's how it went in England after all- and it does... but the whispers also start as soon as Bustier begins registration.

He doesn't bother to listen to what's being said, but when his name comes up he can't help but listen. He despises gossips and he will _not_ let himself become a liars gossip well.

" _I can't believe she just gave up her seat for him! Where was that compassion when Lila needed a seat change?"_

_"She's so pathetic. As soon as a blond boy talks to her she's smitten. Watch she'll be goo-goo eyes for him by tomorrow."_

_"Who does this Félix guy think he is? First he ignores Lila - his friend - and then starts canoodling with Marinette!"_

With each comment the girl next to him flinches, it's so small that if he wasn't sat next to her he's sure he'd of missed them, but his irritation flares when he spots his _cousin of all people_ turning and mouthing to the girl sat next to him.

Félix has never claimed to be the best lip reader but after growing up around his mother's movie sets he's picked it up here and there and what he can understand makes his blood boil.

The coward comment makes so much more sense now. Originally he thought Dupain-Cheng had just always been disillusioned to the spineless boy at the front of the room and had merely been being polite to him, but no.

He's somehow managed to become even more disappointed in his cousin because he can tell they were once genuine friends but Adrien managed to fuck it up.

' _It isn't hurting anyone let it go'_ What kind of legitimate moron says things like that to someone who is clearly the centre of gossip for no reason other than she gave up her seat?

Not that he's inclined to investigate but surely that can't be the thing they're all hung up on can it? They can't be being openly cold and purposefully trying to trip and cause harm to her because she didn't give her seat up at one point in time?

Surely?

... He's in a class of idiots. Honest to God idiots. 

Dupain-Cheng's final judgement had meant to be postponed until after a week of observing the girl in a school setting but he's fast forwarding that final assessment to today.

She seems to be the only one disillusioned to his cousin and his accessory and despite the fact the gossip is effecting her she's continuing to dedicate herself to the ungrateful class and to her work.

Félix isn't sure if that's pure dedication or masochism. Seeing as he's viewing Dupain-Cheng as the only sane member of his class he's electing to ignore the latter of the two options.

Given the current state of things, Félix sighs and focuses on the front where the teacher is making a few off handed comments about remembering homework and more than a few snide comments about being examples to their fellow students and learning to sort through their issues like adults because there won't always be someone there to sort them out for you.

"Does she not listen to the idiocy she spews or has her frontal prelateral cortex actually failed her?"

They're at the back of the room and everyone is interested in the witch so he doesn't try to keep his voice down.

He doesn't scream his words but if anyone in the few rows around them bothered to listen they'd hear him.

Next to him Dupain-Cheng snorts, giving him another look that reads similarly to the one she greeted him as a seat mate with before burrowing herself back into a sketchbook.

"That'd require her to understand logic in the first place."

"Very true Dupain-Cheng."

-*-

Somehow Félix manages to get through the day up to lunch without committing mass murder or contemplating throwing himself out a window more than thrice.

It's a major loss on that second part due to his record normally being zero.

Still, brief questionable thoughts aside he's been able to bare with the day to a degree.

The class are all still idiots - sheep- and his cousin only dug himself a deeper and deeper pit in Félix's eyes (possibly Dupain-Cheng's as well if the look of utter disappointment she'd shot the model whilst he tried to convince Félix to play along with the liar at morning break was any indication) whilst showing no redemption in his eyes.

One day Adrien might grow a spine, one day he might apologize and put things right. But Félix has put up with having to reassemble the pieces of a mess Adrien has left behind for too long to put any money on it.

Agreste men (and thank god he isn't included in that) seem to have on defining factor; they fail at social interaction.

His uncle was a recluse with little regard to what mess he left behind in his wake after steam rolling through people's lives, and Adrien couldn't distinguish between what was appropriate to do in regards to gossip rags and how to treat living breathing people in the same situation.

If he did, Dupain-Cheng just might be madly in love with him.

Now isn't that a thought? Dupain-Cheng in love with Adrien.

Lunch rolls around like a saving grace and, quite unlike himself, he's packed and ready to leave before the bell has even rung to end the lesson.

If anyone asks he'll put it down to being an organized and punctual person - nobody needs to know it's because he'd been stuck in a limbo between deciding to throw himself over Dupain-Cheng and out the window or being packed and ready to go so he could see her mysterious establishment.

Nobody needs to know though, and thankfully nobody asks.

"You ready to go to- oh. You're packed." Dupain-Cheng stares at his immaculately clean desk before quirking eyebrow at him, "I feel I should make a joke about you cleaning up nicely."

The raw Dupain-Cheng makes an appearance for a few second with the joke and it forced with small smile out of him.

"Lead the way, this mysterious establishment has me curious."

They're quick about leaving the room, the girl is particularly agile when she passes by where Rossi is weaving her web and he notices the 'obstructions' that weren't there a moment ago being swiftly dodged.

Once down in the courtyard he's near frog marched out the school and feels incredibly stupid when they stop in front of Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, which is merely a half block from the school.

"Hey Mama, is it okay for my friend and I to have lunch here?" Dupain-Cheng doesn't hesitate and enters the bakery with a greeting to the woman behind the counter that has him realising the reasons behind the girls laughter before.

"Of course," the woman doesn't look away from her customer but she nods anyway, "Just let your father know you're here."

Once more Dupain-Cheng marches him through the bakery, not in a rude way but she's obviously in a bit of a rush, and into the back through the kitchen. They greet her father quickly, a quite tall man who Félix will admit looks slightly terrifying with his rolling pin in hand, before he's being diverted up the stairs.

When they reach the top of the stairs Félix finds himself in a living space that is a hodgepodge of Franco-Chinese culture that somehow works. He also notes how _warm_ it feels, and how it seems much more a _home_ than a house.

In no time at all he and Dupain-Cheng are sat at the dining table, eating croissants from the family pantry, which he presumes are their own recipe because it makes no sense to buy a competitors brand, and Félix decides to start conversation.

"So, I'm your friend Dupain-Cheng?"

From Adrien's description this would be the point where she'd get all flustered and start stuttering, but he doesn't entertain that as a real possibility given what he's already seen.

He's proven right when she gives a nonchalant shrug, "Mama and Papa are openly affectionate with everyone, I have a feeling they'd accidentally make you uncomfortable." She proves herself observant once again, "Saying 'friend' rather than 'new friend' or 'classmate' means they won't ask questions."

"Makes sense. Quick thinking on your part but still impressive."

"Although, since you've eaten our food you belong to us now." She shrugs once more but this time there's a teasing smile on her face, "Rules of the fey after all."

Setting the croissant down he finds himself playing along, "Of course. How did I miss it? You're petite, despise liars and ensnare people in with delicious food."

Dupain-Cheng laughs and he finds it's not a disagreeable sound. Félix isn't usually one for jokes but right now it's tolerable. Maybe it's because in comparison to the rest of the class Dupain-Cheng is a decent human being, or perhaps it's simply because France is a new start.

"But in all seriousness, I'm not going to make you be my friend if you don't want to be."

"Thank you," and he finds he means the words when he says them, "How about a partnership instead?"

Blue eyes study him from across the table, and Félix is keenly aware (has been since he set foot in the bakery) that he is in Dupain-Cheng's territory and he has to wait for her to make the first move.

Normally that would make his skin crawl and annoyance rear its head in the back of his mind; he hates not having control of a situation, he despises letting people have an advantage over him, but this isn't like his usual partnerships.

Félix won't be working with Dupain-Cheng towards a separate goal to herself, she won't backstab him without good reason. Which means letting the girl have a slight advantage is fine this time.

However he will have to inquire about certain things before he decides how comfortable he is with her having an advantage. In business the most important thing was keeping a tight hold on the rug beneath your feet, and an even tighter grip on the one beneath your partners.

"A partnership?" She folds her hands in front of her on the table and Félix leans back in his chair in a faux show of casual grace, "What did you have in mind Cupla?"

"Nothing too extravagant," his mother would surly be disappointed that his first acquaintance not only shared his apparent dislike for Adrien but was also willing to entertain his schemes, "We act as each others witnesses when Rossi tries to throw blame around, and I act as your 'in' as it were, to getting rid of Rossi."

He's ensnared her attention with one sentence and if the determination in Dupain-Cheng's eyes wasn't so intense he'd think it's pitiful how easily he's captured her attention.

As it is he'd rather foster that determination than have it turned on him, "What do you mean?"

"I want to keep my head down while in France and head back to England as soon as I can. However keeping my head down will be extremely difficult with Rossi around."

She nods and so he continues.

"You clearly have experience dealing with her, you're disillusioned to her and the class all seem to view you negatively because of it," Dupain-Cheng flinched when he mentions the class and he files it away for later, "It's in both our best interests to get rid of her."

"Makes sense," she picks up her croissant again and motions at him with it, "But where do you become _our_ 'in' for getting rid of her?"

"I hate my uncle with a passion." An eyebrow is raised at him and he can practically hear her saying 'who doesn't?', "However he's apparently under the impression I'd be a good pawn in his efforts to control Adrien's life."

Despite what should be a bombshell being dropped metaphorically at her feet, Dupain-Cheng doesn't do anything but languidly start to eat, which prompts him to do so as well.

"So he'd trust you and your words if you phrased them as being helpful to Adrien's well-being."

"Correct."

"...But what would you do? Arrange a video call with him and then say Lila, one of his models on a personal contract from him, is a bad influence?" Dupain-Cheng shoots him a sceptical look, "I don't know much about Gabriel Agreste but i do know insulting his personal taste in companions for his son to his face will not end well."

He hadn't been aware Rossi was on contract with his uncle; the old recluse had refrained from mentioning that. However if he - if _**they**_ played their cards right that fact will work in their favour.

"Well then I guess we'll just have to not say it to his face."

-*-

They enter the school at the end of lunch with the beginnings of a partnership and a fledgling plan in the works. Félix can already tell teaming up with Dupain-Cheng is going to be one of the best decisions he's made in a long time.

Never before had his partnerships been so proactive; mostly because many of his past partnerships were out of necessity rather than joining forces over a singular objective. It was actually a little bit exhilarating, waiting to see how their partnership would flourish.

Dupain-Cheng was most definitely a great asset, and also a mystery he was going to have fun unravelling.

As a duo they cross the courtyard and head up the stairs, much like they had at the beginning of the day, and they're in the classroom in almost no time.

Which is both a blessing and a curse, because on the one hand the sooner they're back to class the quicker they day can end and the quicker Félix can get to scheming, alternatively they're entering the wolf's den which raises its own set of issues.

Was it really too much to ask for more than one competent classmate?

"And then she- she _punched_ me!" Rossi is covering her face and crying into her arms as the classmates that are already in the room surround her, drilling themselves up as they listen to the web being spun before them, "I knew she didn't like me but I didn't think Marinette would hit me!"

Next to him Dupain-Cheng tenses up, but unlike that morning where it was fear rolling off of her body language it's just plain rage.

While the class is distracted he ushers Dupain-Cheng up the stairs (and how blind must the class be to not notice the would-be attacker slip past them) and to their seat. Once she's there he puts stage one of their half formed plan into action.

_Stage one: Let Rossi know that Dupain-Cheng isn't floundering on her own anymore._

"Really Rossi, you're _certain_ that Dupain-Cheng attacked you?"

His voice is deceptively sweet and he can't help but flash Dupain-Cheng a smirk when her jaw drops open at the complete three sixty his personality seems to have done.

Félix hasn't grown up around filming sets and not picked up more than a few tips.

"Félix!" Her acting is half baked at best, but he can admit the liar (while an obvious and uninformed braggart ) knows how to put on a show, "Oh you have to believe me! It was horrible, she was screaming and threatening me!"

Forced tears stream down her face when her head snaps up to look at him. The others follow suit and he remembers that for some reason that morning they all seemed to believe he was Rossi's friend.

No doubt they're expecting some kind of explosive reaction or a horrified remark and a promise to move away from Dupain-Cheng immediately.

This is clearly a scheme to isolate both himself and Dupain-Cheng in one fell swoop and despite the sub-par acting the plan is remarkably effective given how little time she's had to concoct it.

That or Rossi spends all the time she undoubtedly gets her classmates doing her homework for her planning schemes like this.

If he wasn't planning on taking her down he'd almost consider telling her he was impressed.

"Dupain-Cheng," he turns his head to 'glare' at her in the back of the room (once more everyone's gaze turning with his) and she looks spooked for a few seconds until she seems to catch on, "Why did you not say you had a twin?"

"What?" Rossi's confusion spreads like wildfire and it takes most of his acting skills to not laugh in her face.

"That must be the only logical reason Rossi, seeing as Dupain-Cheng was with me at lunch and we weren't in the school building for any of lunch."

The ' So she couldn't have cornered you' goes unsaid but he assumes everyone thinks it with the way they're looking between the causally sketching Dupain-Cheng and the spluttering liar.

"It was definitely Marinette though!"

"Unless you managed to get into the Dupain-Cheng bakery Rossi, I doubt she could have cornered you." He takes his acting another step up and backs her into a metaphorical corner, "Perhaps you're just confused after the attack? After all being threatened and attacked must be quite traumatic."

"Lila's your friend why are you trying to defend her attacker!?" The girl with glasses sat next to Rossi near snarls as she throws her 'accusation' at him.

His headache is swiftly returning. Félix doesn't attempt to hide his displeasure for the whole situation.

"I'm sorry miss...?"

"Alya, Alya Césaire!"

He nods, like he actually cares about her name, "Right. Miss Césaire you are aware you're accusing me of lying correct?"

An eyebrow is raised her way and the girl splutters in indignation attempting to explain that she _wasn't_ although she most certainly was.

"Because you're claiming I'm defending Rossi's 'attacker'," he makes a concrete effort to not make air quotations, "by _lying_ about someone's whereabouts. However, Dupain-Cheng and I have multiple witnesses putting us at the bakery for all of lunch."

That promptly shuts her up, seems she isn't so stupid as to argue against evidence like that without any evidence to back her own claim. He's confused as to how she's fallen for Rossi's lies with that kind of attitude but that's something he and Dupain-Cheng can discuss later.

"Ah! Maybe Félix is right, it must be my memory issues acting up again!"

Félix doesn't bother to make a comment about how if she has memory problems she was so happy to throw the blame about, and begins to make his way to his seat.

"Oh and Rossi?" He slides into the outside seat, pulling a book from his bag, "Refrain from claiming to be my friend, I'm sure you just like to be friends with everyone but if you do that to every new person in school people will start thinking you're a liar."

It's clear to see that comment pisses Rossi off but she can't risk reacting to it with her pose in such close proximity, so she crudely fashions a smile of agreement and turns back to the gaggle.

When they've diverted their attention from them Dupain-Cheng's body language instantly relaxes and she slumps onto the desk.

"How did you do _that_?" The awe in her voice has Félix raising a brow at her, "You just _outted_ her, called Alya out and got away with it. How?"

"Misdirection, Dupain-Cheng. Yes, I said Lila was lying, but I gave her an out as it were, so that the others can't justify jumping down my throat. Not to mention I distracted them from my real plan."

"...You planted a seed of doubt."

"I planted a seed of doubt." Shrugging he opens up his book, "It will make our job _much_ easier if they start to question her credibility, even subconsciously."

What he thinks is Dupain-Cheng's equivalent of a smirk spreads across her face.

* * *

Normally, Marinette wouldn't have _dreamt_ of joining a plot to overthrow Lila as self-appointed Queen bee - it was too risky and besides she didn't have the time to plan around all the important things she had going on;

Like being Ladybug, or being class president, or commissions, or helping out at home and clearly the most important thing, keeping her physical and mental health at its peak despite her class's best efforts.

If she had to dodge one more outstretched foot from Max or 'misplaced' bag from Alix she was going to use her Ladybug strength (something that had started transferring over into civilian life as of late) and punt the girl out the window. She didn't care anymore, Marinette was so _tired_ and pissed off that keeping her head down was all she could do to not dig herself a deeper hole.

Heaven forbid she become akumatised because of Lila.

Undoubtedly there would be no sympathy for her, it would just be her being petty, with no concern for why she hadn't snapped before when Chloe was much more open about her bullying.

But perhaps that was why Félix Cupla's offer intrigued her.

An opportunity to dethrone Lila all while having backup was more than incentive.

From what she could briefly gather about Cupla he was a brilliant actor and could be conniving when need be, but he also seemed like the kind of person to be straightforward with his goals. Subterfuge didn't seem like something he dabbled in often, but Marinette got the impression the blond was more than proficient in it.

Which was great.

Because Marinette needed someone as done with the class as she was. And if Cupla wanted to usurp Lila for a quieter life who was she to deny a request as class president?

It was sly, she'd admit, but Marinette was stressed, tired, hurt and quite frankly pushed past her limits about thirty years ago. Sly was exactly what she needed.

Plus with someone literally and metaphorically watching her back Marinette found herself thinking about how much easier it would be to be more confident. Just knowing that there was at least one person in the room who didn't think she was selfish for saying no and caring for herself, was all she really needed to be able to reaffirm to herself that she could say no.

Shooting a glance at her desk partner Marinette couldn't help but be concerned by the apparently permanent irked look on Cupla's face.

The blond was facing forward, attempting to burn a whole through the whiteboard in the process, and his pen looked seconds away from being crushed between his fingers. The cause for this aggravation, as far as she could tell, was Lila.

Strangely enough she wasn't _lying_ but rather... trying to butter the boy up? She was reiterating how _kind_ and _gentlemanly_ 'dear Félix' was and how even though he was obviously devastatingly shy he'd still been _so_ understanding. And really, _how wonderful he is_ _making an effort to talk to Marinette of all people!_

Of course, even at the flat out dig Adrien's expression didn't change in the slightest, she wondered how used to underhanded and backhanded digs the model was to not realise that Lila's words were actually hurtful.

Considering he'd been friends with Chloe for years, and his father was _Gabriel Agreste_ she guessed he was probably completely desensitized to it.

Figures.

Marinette would have gone overboard on a crush for a 'sunshine' who didn't compute negativity correctly, because it wouldn't be her would it if she over crushed on someone that wasn't odd in some way.

It still disgusted her how far she'd gone with her crush on the blond boy, it made her skin crawl in fact just thinking about it. But if one thing came out of the whole stalker-like experience; it was that she realised Alya was encouraging her toxic behaviour.

Of course, it wasn't all on Alya. Marinette had been the one to start off the whole... _weird and distasteful_ thing, but her then best friend should have stepped in and told her that it wasn't okay. She should have realised herself but Alya should have at least told her she was going too far.

Hell, when Marinette first started backing off for Kagami (who once seeing how lacking in a backbone Adrien was had also backed off) Alya had started coming up with even worse schemes than Marinette had.

All in all it had been a bad point in her life and she would endeavour to never repeat it.

But still, it _hurt_ to see someone she had once harboured feelings for completely disregard her own feelings in a matter as serious as this.

"You're going to want to be ready to leave as soon as the bell goes," she keeps her voice down, eyes focusing back on the front but Cupla's shoulders shift letting her know he's listening, "Adrien is going to come up here at the end of the day and try to give a holier than thou speech."

She didn't say 'again' but her tone implied as much.

"So he only has a backbone when he's silencing others..." Cupla sounded like he was only half aware he was speaking, "I should have figured as much. Uncle only really interacts with others when he's disapproving as well."

-*-

True to her prediction as soon as the bell rings Adrien attempts to intercept her and his cousin, going as far as to abandon his bag to reach them before they leave.

He's learning then. Marinette had been able to give him the slip before because he'd spent too long packing his bag.

"Félix! Marinette!"

Marinette doesn't look at him, focusing her gaze on the clock behind him as he blocks the stairs. Coincidentally he lets the others in the back row go but stops them.

Nathaniel sends her a concerned look as he passes, eyes flicking between the model and her obviously irritated expression. ' _Do you need help_ _?'_ he mouths to her and she discreetly nods.

Her class isn't completely under Lila's spell like she likes to think, certain members of the class are disillusioned, but Lila hasn't gotten her claws into the other classes yet and Marinette can only assume Nathaniel is keeping his head down so that the Fox doesn't thinks he's a way in.

It'll only last so long.

But she's rather impressed that the usually reserved and withdrawn boy is risking his neck by offering help against Adrien - Lila's little lap dog.

The red headed boy gives her own more concerned look before hesitantly leaving the room. She watches the boy head down the stairs and catches how dejected his body language is.

"Are you even listening Marinette?"

Adrien's voice reminds her she's supposed to be listening to him.

"No," she briefly casts her eyes at the boy and manages to catch his affronted look before turning her attention to Cupla, "You done here? I can show you where to buy the required books today if you want."

"I'd like that, thank you Dupain-Cheng."

They began to leave the room but Adrien broke out of his shocked stupor before they could, "Hey! I wasn't done! Marinette you aren't acting like yourself - and Félix provoking Lila won't do anything! Just look at what's happening to Marinette."

She paused, looking over her shoulder and feeling her anger rise and bubble in her chest. Nothing bad was happening until she was a warning of what could happen?

Wow.

Her opinion of the model just dropped even more. Marinette hadn't thought she could think so negatively about someone but here she was.

"You're pathetic." Cupla's voice all day had been restrained and a tad bit arrogant, and exceptionally open and honest when he'd proposed their partnership, but now it was scathing ice and stinging venom, "'It isn't hurting anyone', that's what you mouthed to Dupain-Cheng this morning when the class were gossiping about her. But that didn't matter. But now that _**I'm**_ opposing the liar it's suddenly hurting people?"

The English boy turned his nose up at his cousin, rolling his eyes, "I didn't have high expectations Adrien, really I didn't, but somehow you've managed to fall short of them anyway."

"No! You're twisting - that isn't what I meant!" The worry in Adrien's voice was actually jarring, but it only made her resolve to leave stronger, "I meant that if you continue it'll only get worse! What you're doing will make it worse for Marinette in the long run, whatever it is you're doing."

A laugh, cruel and surprisingly enough reminiscent of a wounded animal's ferocious snarl, escaped Cupla, "Then _dearest cousin_ , I'll just have to make sure Rossi doesn't have a leg to stand on won't I?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anyone reading this has ever read my more recent works you'll know I'm prone to just throwing in random characters POV's...
> 
> So... yeah. Fair warning.
> 
> Next warning: vague reference to suicide

Emille Cupla prides herself on her ability to scrutinize and pick apart people who make their livings putting on a mask. That is to say, she doesn't take any shit from the actor's that she works with.

So it's no surprise to her that when Félix comes home from his first day of school obviously _annoyed_ she notices.

Her son enters the lounge, a modest sized room with two chassis in a soft orange two arm chairs in the same colour and a rustic wood set, satchel hanging over one shoulder with a determined set to his jaw and a shadow of agitation in his eyes.

It immediately tells her she needs to investigate because when her son was like this it usually meant either Adrien or something incredibly important.

Considering the fact she hasn't had her _lovely_ brother-in-law phone her to sue for damages of his best model she can tell Félix hasn't done anything to his cousin.

It's only a matter of time with her son though; she'll need to act quickly.

"Afternoon dear," she feigned just noticing him and watched as he set his bag down and delicately set himself in an arm chair, "how was school?"

"Interesting."

Emille can't help but roll her eyes at her son.

'Interesting' meant a variety of different things coming from a Cupla. What Emille found to be a interesting topic of study would probably be a source if boredom for the most stalwart of scholars; being pedantic seemed to be a familial trait, which was a shame because the rest of her genetics shining through made Félix a very handsome young man.

"How so?"

"You remember Dupain-Cheng, the class president?" With a small nod her son carries on, leaning back into the seat much more relaxed than she's seen him since coming to France, "We're deskmates, she's one of the only ones disillusioned to Adrien's girlfriend."

There are a few things to unpack in that sentence. The first being her son is willingly interacting with someone - specifically of the opposite sex - and secondly, Adrien has a girlfriend.

"Of course Rossi isn't actually his girlfriend, he can't stand her." Félix snarls and for the life of her she can't tell of its directed at Adrien or this 'Rossi' girl, "But she's latched onto him like a possessive girlfriend and everyone seems to be under the impression they're in some form of relationship."

There's even more to unpack now than before. Gabriel Agreste didn't let anything happen in his company or family without him knowing, so there's no way someone is latching onto her nephew in the way her son is describing and Gabriel _doesn't_ know.

What concerns her about that fact - momentarily ignoring the fact Gabriel is a control freak - is that her brother-in-law is aware and not doing anything to stop it.

Agreste men did have the tendency to ignore situations unless it effected them though, so really she shouldn't be surprised.

"Adrien can't stand her? I know your cousin doesn't speak his mind often, but surely he wouldn't subject himself-"

" _Adrien is playing the martyr_."

Emille has to stop all train of thought at the malice in her son's voice. Félix could sometimes come off as cold, but her son was just very picky about who he expressed himself around. She's only heard him sound this disgusted in regards to one individual before and that had been a perfectly understandable situation.

It's no secret he and Adrien don't get along, but they'd been exchanging emails recently and she'd thought they'd been on the mend...?

"Rossi is harassing and bullying Dupain-Cheng because she sees through her lies, and _Adrien as such a great person_ , decided to let Rossi loll all over him in an attempt to placate her."

That certainly sounds like martyr like behaviour but it doesn't explain the venom in the way Félix said it.

"Except he does nothing to help Dupain-Cheng despite saying he was _with her_ in the whole endeavour and only acknowledges there's an issue when I decide to get involved."

As the information starts to come together Emille starts to understand why this situation is rolling her son up so much, why despite not knowing Dupain-Cheng for more than a day and a few hours he's already desperately angry for her.

Félix has already lost a friend due to cowardice, and Bridgette was never coming back.

Seeing this new classmate in a similar situation must drag old memories up. Even if it's subconsciously.

Leaning forward on the chassis she reaches out and clasped her hands around her sons, "I understand your anger, but breath with me, you can't help anyone if you're an akuma."

It takes a few minutes if careful breathing exercises and recounting more happy memories for them to get back on track.

"You said Adrien only saw an issue when you got involved what do you mean by that?"

"I saw through Rossi immediately," _clearly_ she thinks but doesn't mention anything, "Dupain-Cheng does as well. After laying witness to the two faced nature of the class I extended my hand towards her, enlisting her as a business partner."

She can't even say she's surprised; after all Claude, Alan, Allegra and Bridgette had all started out as 'business' partners.

"We would act as each others witnesses, should Rossi try anything, and we would work together to show _dear old uncle_ that he needs to get rid of her." Frustration builds up in his voice as Félix keeps speaking and she gathers that they're almost at the end of the explanation, "We had a small bout, Adrien cornered us at the end of the end of the day, insisting that if I were to continue I would only make life worse for Dupain-Cheng but..."

"But?"

"But earlier today when the class were being purposely rude and demanding the _coward_ had the gall to mouth to her that _it didn't matter. It wasn't hurting anyone._ "

* * *

Félix enters Dupoint on his second day there, much the same as he did the first. Regretfully and with little hope for the students.

Except this time he's got a thermos of tea, a different book and a plan of action waiting to be put into action. Not to mention a roaring temper that's been soothed only slightly by his mother's level headed objective look in on the entire situation.

Instead of going around Adrien completely Félix needs to understand why his cousin is the way he is in this particular situation.

Begrudge as he is to admit it, Adrien's place in this game of chess is actually vital. If the reason behind his inconsistencies comes to light Félix can ( _and will_ ) use it to his advantage.

That's the only reason why he puts on a charming smile that makes his cousin crawl in his skin when he spots him and drag the other blond away from prying eyes and unwelcome listeners.

Obviously to achieve this he drags him off to the classroom, mentally thanking whatever form good luck takes for the fact Rossi is _for once_ late.

"We need to talk."

"I thought you were disappointed in me? You're too high class to talk to disappointments Félix." Adrien hardens his tone eyes sharpening whole he speaks.

Resisting the urge to snarl Félix folds his arms and rolls his eyes, " _That_ kind of reaction is exactly why we need to talk."

Adrien goes to make another comment, no doubt it would be as pathetic as the last, but he cuts him off, "I'll put it in simple terms Adrien, you have no backbone. You have an near medical aversion to any type of conflict and yet..."

Félix studies his near look alike, watching him and trying to figure out what it is that sparks this bratty side of the usually subservient doormat.

As far as he can tell there isn't an obvious trigger but the brattiness surfaced after Dupain-Cheng ignored him. For a few seconds his cousin had appeared hurt, but that had changed by the time the girl had tuned into the conversation.

Her quick dismissal had only seemed to fuel his cousins ire and that dismissal had been initially caused by the agitation the blond had show in his features.

It was all one big mess and a loop of negatives leading to more and more messes. Félix was sure there was a metaphor there somewhere.

"And yet what?!"

"And yet you're acting like a **_brat_**." His tone is monotonous and once more he leaves no room for interruption, "Just try and tell me you're not acting like Bourgeois with your attitude."

"Like you're one to talk about attitude!"

The eye roll is a familiar gesture but never before has Félix used it so much in quick succession.

"Exactly Adrien. _I'm_ the moody narcissistic brat with an attitude. So that's why I'm trying to figure out what's causing your apparent mood swings."

Let it be said Félix has never claimed to be good at talking to others about their issues, or their moods or feelings in general. But even for him this conversation is failing.

It doesn't help he supposes that when asked why he cares all of a sudden he admits it's more his mother's interference than anything prompting the investigation into his change.

"What do you even get out of this Félix? You always have an angle."

Honestly if the situation wasn't actually serious he'd be tempted to slow clap, but there's really only so much time he can steal away from Rossi's cronies and her little arm piece before the vixen finds out and materialized herself at school.

Not even two days of being classmates and he can already tell she's the kind of person to be 'in the right place at the right time'. Pathetic really, but effective he supposes.

Félix doesn't bother to answer his cousins question, just presses on with the conversation.

"Dupain-Cheng is _tired_ Adrien." The mention of his precious everyday Ladybug prompts a shocked look before his cousin miserably tries to hide it behind an annoyed look, "This is the kind of tired sleep can't fix. And you know what makes it worse?"

Of course the boy doesn't, if he did they wouldn't be having this conversation.

"Having someone she thought she could trust dismissing her. That's why she's ignoring you, that's why she's being blunt and rude." He unfolds his arms, shoving his fists into his pockets, "Because Dupain-Cheng is **_tired_** of being _nice_."

Nice is a loose term here, what he means is that Dupain-Cheng has realised that a coward won't help and the girls giving just as good as she's getting

As expected Adrien tries to defend his action, and unlike yesterday and before he doesn't cut him off. He listens, intently, as the other boy explains his actions.

The more Félix listens to the reasons the more aggravated he gets. Threats, coercion and manipulation.

All of this is going on and just like he'd told his mother the night before, Adrien is making himself the martyr of it all.

"So, correct me if I'm wrong," class hasn't even started and his headache was starting up. He takes a swig of his still scalding tea to try and push it back for the time being, "but, you're acting like a brat because you've reached your rebellious phase and want to live your life without your father getting involved? And Dupain-Cheng's interference could bring about an unwanted outcome?"

His cousin doesn't take to the word brat, but seemed to agree with the rest of his assumption.

"I hate to break it to you Adrien, but uncle is involved in this whether you like it or not."

"What?"

Poor poor Adrien, he thinks ironically, all he wants is his father attention and the one time he's got it he doesn't want it.

"Rossi gets on uncle's personal model list and suddenly starts treating you like an accessory -to quote uncle here, who 'is her self-appointed status card', and you think he isn't involved?"

Gears start to turn in the models head and so he presses onwards.

"You attempting to convince Dupain-Cheng to not rock the boat won't help you, because uncles already involved and doesn't give a damn," it's a sad reality, one he knows Adrien doesn't want to accept, " All you're achieving is pushing Dupain-Cheng away - you're pushing your friend away Adrien because you're being selfish."

With that declaration he turns away from his cousin and heads to the classroom door. His business partner should be arriving around now, and there's not much point in being someone's witness if you aren't with them.

Félix stalls in the doorway when Adrien speaks, "I'm- I'm not selfish! I'm...I'm not..."

In a exaggerated fashion he pretends to look around the room and the corridor before turning back to his cousin.

"Then tell me why even Bourgeois isn't here for you."

His words are cruel but Félix can only be civil for so long before his sharp tongue returns. To avoid any more biting comments he leaves the room and heads to the stairs, not bothering to look back.

Purely from paranoia he feels like another set of eyes besides Adrien's are watching him leave.

-*-

"You look proud of yourself," Dupain-Cheng raises a brow at him, "Who's in the hospital?"

"Nobody yet, I did however learn some important information."

The girl nods at him and without prompting they make their way to the classroom, neither of them speak and its in communicable silence they sit at the very back of the room.

Rossi is still, surprisingly, absent.

From what little he's acquired about the girl from their short bout and minor observations, adding in his uncle's words and Dupain-Cheng's own insight, she doesn't seem the type to be late. Especially when she undoubtedly knows her adversary has a new partner.

Perhaps she's cooking something up and has lost track of the time? But even that doesn't match up with what he knows - after all she came up with a strategy to try and isolate the two of them and throw Dupain-Cheng under the bus in only a single lunchtime.

It all feels suspicious to him, and the phantom sensation of a pair of eyes on him doesn't help. But Félix decides to focus on the new information he has, and how he's going to fit it into their fledgling plan.

Dupain-Cheng doesn't look as tired as she had the day before, and the fact that none of their classmates bother her seems to also uplift her spirit.

She still changes facades rather quickly though, and the girl who'd raised a brow and asked if he'd put someone in the hospital is gone by the time the Césaire girl shows up and the quiet shadow of overestimate returns.

For the life of him Félix can't figure out if the change is to ensure the least amount of attention directed towards herself or if it's because, like he'd wondered the day before, the rest of the class haven't experienced this more raw Dupain-Cheng and it's something to be coveted.

If the second option is the case he has to wonder why she'd show it to a complete stranger, but then the answer becomes apparent. A stranger hasn't been infected by the lies yet, and seeing what he supposes is the real Dupain-Cheng beforehand allows someone to make their own decisions - unhindered by the prior assumptions about the girl.

Which is good thinking on her part. Though Duplin-Cheng seems to be quite good at quick thinking and planning.

He's unsure whether that's due to her position as class president or just something that comes naturally to her.

There's no reason to really know which it is though so he diverts his thoughts away from that topic and fishes his book out of his bag. The chances of being able to read while every chattered away was low, but he'd persevere.

 _In 1815, M. Charles François-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of D-_. _He was a man of seventy-five, and had occupied the bishopric of D- since 1806. Although it in no manner concerns, even in the remotest degree, what we have to relate, it may not be useless, we're it only for the sake of neatness in all things, to not notice here the reports and gossip which had arisen on his account from the time of his arrival in the diocese._

 _Be it true or false-_ "Félix!"

Refusing to look up from his book he restarted the line.

_Be it true or false, what is said about men often has as much influence upon their lives, and especially upon their destinies, as what they do._

_"_ Félix!" A hand was not so gracefully slammed onto the desk just behind his book and it took all his composure to not snarl when he saw Rossi standing in his personal space with a sugary sweet smile on her face.

He didn't bother to verbally respond, but neither did he continue reading. The girl was making it abundantly clear she wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

Reluctantly placing his bookmark on the first page of his book he seized the girl up.

Nothing was any different than the day before, same obnoxious colour scheme, same ridiculous hairstyle and same- that was different. Taking a second look at her face he realised she'd applied make up to make it look like the beginning of a bruise was forming.

He'd be genuinely impressed with her dedication to her play if the bruise was on the correct side of her face. Nobody else seemed to have noticed though, clearly for them seeing a mark after the dramatic act yesterday was enough to push aside the inconsistencies.

"I couldn't help but notice what you were reading, I _love_ reading. If you want-"

"Rossi, I'll tell you this once." The girl shut up and Félix was nonplussed by her 'intimidating' gaze, "I won't fall for it. So just stop trying."

Like he'd flipped a switch Rossi's voice dropped volume and turned into a hiss, "I could destroy you Cupla."

For the first time in a while he laughed properly, a humorous full out laugh sparked from joy and comedy.

"You've got it the wrong way round Rossi," he didn't try to hide his snarl now, "I _can_ and I _will_ destroy you."

Even if it was only for a few seconds the way genuine fear spirited through Rossi eyes vindicated him. If there was one thing Félix hated more than being the centre of gossip it was being threatened by someone who was trying to be bigger than they were.

If it were say, Dupain-Cheng or even Adrien who had threatened him he would be wary. Adrien purely for his uncle's connections, but Dupain-Cheng because something told him she was much more than she appeared and those were the worst kind of people to piss off.

Claude was a shining example of that, not that Félix had ever been on the receiving end of that particular ire but he knew his friend had the capabilities to destroy people if the boy wished.

"I'd run along if I were you Rossi, we wouldn't want your _friends_ getting worried would we?"

The dismissal had the desired effect and the girl turned on her heel and stalked down the steps to the front of the room with her metaphorical tail between her legs.

A small thud had him turning to see Dupain-Cheng removing her hand from her thermos which now resided on the desk next to her open sketchbook her head quickly following and landing on the open pages, "One of these days you'll have to teach me your tactics."

Despite not showing it outwardly Félix gained some amusement from the girls display, "You're a fairy Dupain-Cheng you'll figure it out."

"Mmhm."

What she said after that was lost to the pages of her sketchbook but Félix didn't think she was talking to him by that point anyway. That was something the girl tended to do it seemed.

Muttering under her breath and speaking her thoughts aloud could become annoying after awhile but it didn't seem to be too often so for now he could deal with it.

He went to return to his book but his deskmate spoke before he even opened the book.

"You said you had some new information," casting his gaze back to the girl she'd pulled herself back into a sitting position and was getting into a particularly interesting looking sketch, "Want to discuss at the bakery? Or would you like me to recommend another establishment and talk another time?"

"Lunch would be a good time yes, and the bakery is quite honestly the safest place to discuss," she nodded, though her eyes never left the page and Félix found himself transfixed by the design coming to life on the page, " This is going to be a long term plan I'll remind you. You won't back out will you?"

Dupain-Cheng stopped sketching and looked him in the eye, "Of course not. Will you?"

"I can only gain from this, I have no reason to back out."

-*-

The day goes relatively well from that point on, he seems to have spooked Rossi enough that she leaves the two of them alone for the day, though her conspiratorial whispers and glances back do nothing to make her look innocent.

He's proven correct about his theory that she'd been gossiping about them all day when Césaire makes her way up to their desk at the end of the day.

Because of the lack of confrontation all day and Rossi not putting on any theatrical display he's somewhat confused to see the would-be journalist come their way. The biggest surprise is how composed she looks.

Félix assumed she could only look annoyed or excited, interesting.

It proves how tired and irritated he is that that piece of internal commentary is vaguely amusing for him.

"Hey," Césaire is fiddling with her phone case, popping the top part of her phone in and out of the case, "Can I talk to the two of you for a minute?"

The girl in front of him seems nothing like the guard dog that had jumped at his throat yesterday, but there's something he doesn't quite know in Dupain-Cheng's eyes so he lets her set the tone.

"What do you want Alya?"

His seat mate is tired, and obviously anxious to get away from this conversation but with Césaire blocking him from getting out and her complying to hold conversation there isn't much he can do.

"I wanted to apologize." Dupain-Cheng covers up her choking with a well timed coughing fit, "For... for yesterday. I jumped down your throat and accused you of lying when I didn't have a reason to."

It seems like she's going to end there but then her eyes flash to behind him to Dupain-Cheng. He casts a look her way to see she's flipping through her sketchbook and pointedly ignoring the other girl.

That's a reoccurring theme now.

When approached by classmates trying to get her away from a crowd she seems to just shut down, zoning out and ignoring the person till she seems to deem it safe to make a get away.

"And I'm sorry for believing that you'd attack someone Marinette. I'm your friend I should know better-"

"You should." Curt, but not cutting, Dupain-Cheng interrupts the other girl.

Césaire doesn't seem to know how to respond to that and her mouth just hangs open, she doesn't look angry which makes Félix think she just might realise she really is the only guilty here currently.

"You _should_ have known better and yet you didn't," Césaire is still in shock and Dupain-Cheng still uses a curt business-like tone of voice, the girl gives the other a stone cold stare, "why even apologize, the next time Lila points the finger you'll just do it all over again."

Félix feels like he's quite literally trapped between two opposing forces right now. The word choices Dupain-Cheng is making make it clear this isn't the first time Césaire has apologized and then gone back on the apology.

"Two weeks ago Lila said I stole her homework, but I'd been given permission to stay in study period to work on commissions - _which you knew because it was **your** commission I was working on_ \- and you didn't stop pointing the finger till the work was found in the bin that evening."

"Are you still hung up on that? Look, you were the only one in the room when Lila left her bag unattended what were we supposed to think?"

There's a hole in that story, primarily being school demands students always have their bags on their person's in case of an akuma attack - so really Félix can't help but see it as suspicious that Rossi's homework went missing just from that point alone.

He's broken from his thoughts when Dupain-Cheng's hand hits the desk and she somehow manages to lean over him whilst still not invading his personal space.

Surely there's a word for her behaviour, but it escapes him.

"You were supposed to think it was weird that Lila left her bag unattended in the first place! Not to mention you're proving my point!"

It starts with an 'a' he's sure of that, assuring isn't it...

"Look, Marinette, you've been **_really difficult lately_** and _**I'm trying**_ so you need to just back off and accept the apology!"

Alright... a word beginning with 'a' that describes Dupain-Cheng's nature... It relates to selflessness he remembers but what's the word?

"Félix can accept your apology all he wants, but I'm not accepting some pretty words because it makes _you_ feel better! And _I'm_ being difficult lately!?"

The word is right on the tip of his tongue, it's aggravating to try and figure it out. Its...! It's 'alt' something.

"Yes! All you've been doing is ignoring us _or_ like now, being rude!"

"MAYBE BECAUSE ALL YOU'VE BEEN DOING IS FORCING ME TO BE SOMEONE I'M NOT!"

Just as he's about to discover the word his brain freezes at the raw emotion in Dupain-Cheng's voice. Taking the girl in, having zoned out near completely seconds earlier, he's shocked by her state.

Dupain-Cheng is red in the face with rage, her small frame is actually shaking and her hands are curled into tight fists on the desk. Worst of all she's got tears in her eyes.

"ALL YOU AND EVERYONE HAS BEEN DOING IS MAKING ME OUT TO BE SOME SELFISH JEALOUS GIRL AND THEN WHEN I TAKE A STEP BACK, WHEN I DON'T BOTHER WITH YOU ANYMORE I'M SOMEHOW DIFFICULT!?"

Césaire backs up and Félix near jumps at the opportunity to get out of the raging girls way, he isn't scared of being in the way of Dupain-Cheng's anger _he isn't,_ but for once her face and body language match up and this seems like something that needs to happen.

It's a boiling point for a lack of a better metaphor. Rage and discontent have been stewing within Dupain-Cheng for awhile now and this is the boiling point, when everything bubbles over the edge and spills out.

A shaky hand is pointed at Césaire and the girl nearly drops her phone when the pointing is followed up by a finger jabbing into her solar plexus by the smaller girl closing the space.

"I have put _everything_ on the line for this class, do you realise how much money I've passed up so that I had time to do stuff for the class rather than commissions!?" The reporter timidly shakes her head no, "Of course you don't, because I don't complain! I _**despise**_ Lila but contrary to what you all think that doesn't effect the way I treat her!"

Félix finds his eyes flitting back between the raging girl and the windows and door, keen eyes keeping a look out for any akuma's.

"But-"

Césaire foolishly tries to interrupt and instead of letting her get a word in edgewise all it does is send Dupain-Cheng off again.

"But nothing! I started ignoring all of you because the only times we interacted was when you either accused me of doing something or wanted something from me!" The tears finally start to fall and Dupain-Cheng looks a pitiful sight but he can't find it within himself to find it disgraceful.

"So really, the only issue any of you have with me ignoring is you is that you can't get free stuff from me!"

"YOU COULD ALWAYS SAY NO! DON'T MAKE YOURSELF THE MARTYR HERE!"

Before Félix can process the taller girls words a slap rings out through the empty classroom and a deathly silence settles over the three of them. Félix feels like he's forgotten how to breath.

"You of all people don't get to tell me I could say no."

The words have such a finality to them, they're resounding with such tiredness and pain and the finality of someone who has given up.

He shouldn't be here, that's all that goes through his head as watches Dupain-Cheng's eyes harden and her tears roll down her face, this is too private and he should never have been here to see it.

"The last time I told you 'no' Alya, you excused me of being jealous. You have rarely given me a choice and you think _you have the right_ to stand there and tell me I could have said 'no'!?"

Once more the girl is speechless, she's in so much shock she doesn't even lift her hand to where there will surely be an imprint later.

"I... Marinette I didn't know-"

"That's the point."

Finally he cuts in, and both girls snap towards him, likely having forgotten he was even there while they'd been too enveloped in their own world. The mortification that spreads across Césaire's face is telling enough about whether he's right or not.

"You didn't know Césaire, and vocalizing the fact won't change anything." Cautiously he makes his way over to Dupain-Cheng and observes her for a few seconds before lightly putting his hand on her arm, "Lets go to the bakery why don't we Dupain-Cheng? You can start work on that sketch you finalized today."

In a daze of sorts the girl nods and allows him to direct her down the stairs. Césaire stares at the girl as she slowly walks down the stairs. Félix grabs her attention when be speaks, "Instead of standing around maybe you should go home and think some things over."

"What- what do you know!?" The girl sounds defeated and like this rebuttal is a last defence for what remains of her pride, "You've been here two days - you aren't her friend."

He gives a mocking smile, "True, but neither are you."

With that he makes his way down the stairs and follows after Dupain-Cheng's zombie like state to make sure she doesn't trip down the stairs and actually makes it home.

This time around he has a chance to make sure someone survives this situation, yesterday he'd only wanted to get rid of Rossi for his own peace of mind with the added bonus of his deskmate not having to deal with the insufferable girl either.

Now Félix doesn't know what he wants.

Dupain-Cheng isn't his friend, their _friendly acquaintances_ and _business partners_ at most. But there's so many parallels between her situation and Bridgette's that he can't help but want to make sure this goes through.

None of them had realised the severity of the issues plaguing Bridgette's mental health and by the time they did it was already far too late. In some ways he finds himself responsible for what happened.

If he'd just noticed sooner, if he'd acted when the first suspicion had arose. Then... then maybe Bridgette would still be alive.

But as his mother would say, there was no point focusing on the 'what ifs', devastatingly Bridgette wasn't with them anymore, right now though Dupain-Cheng was facing something of an equal calibre except this time the victim was completely alone.

So no, it wasn't out of friendly obligation or the thought of extending the offer of friendship that made him hurry to the girls side when she stood at the top of the stairs for a few seconds too long for his liking.

Félix had seen what happened when this issue didn't get solved and he didn't want anyone else having to loose a daughter because he did nothing.

* * *

Alya can barely process the stinging feeling on her face as she walks home, all she knows is that from the looks she's getting in the street its certainly going to leave a bruise.

Maybe she deserves it...

_"What- what do you know!? You've been here two days - you aren't her friend."_

_"True, but neither are you."_

But it _hurts_ to think that she deserves it. Because if she truly does deserve it, it means she in the wrong and she can't understand what she's done to constitute that.

Marinette had sounded so _broken_ though and... and Alya hadn't seen the build up, she hadn't seen when her once best friend putting off her budding career to help the class...

She'd seen none of it.

How hadn't she seen any of the stress piling on? It didn't make any sense- 

_"but I'd been given permission to stay in study period to work on commissions - which you knew because it was **your** commission I was working on _

Alya had been part of the problem... she hadn't seen the stress because she'd been one of the people adding onto it hadn't she?

_"So really, the only issue any of you have with me ignoring is you is that you can't get free stuff from me!"_

When was the last time Alya had spoken to Marinette outside of asking her for a favour or demanding answers about what she'd done to Lila? Speaking of Lila... when had Marinette stopped being her best friend and when had Lila filled that void?

There didn't really seem to be a time there had been a void of friendship, it was almost like Marinette had stopped being her best friend and immediately afterwards Lila had filled the position. A sour feeling filled her at that thought.

Maybe she really wasn't a good person if she replaced her friends so easily.

But still... Alya didn't want to be the one in the wrong.

Because... how could she be in the wrong!? Sure, she'd been a bad vice class president, she'd admit to that because she hadn't noticed the stress piling on. Marinette had been the one who was picking on and undermining Lila since she came back!

_"I **despise** Lila but contrary to what you all think that doesn't effect the way I treat her!"_

...Right?

Lila was always adamant and given how... clingy Marinette could get about Adrien it hadn't been too far a stretch to see her being passive aggressive to the new competition.

But... When Kagami had still been interested Marinette had backed down... and it always seemed like Marinette was avoiding Adrien, more so than she'd been ignoring her and Nino.

There was no reason to go after Lila if she wasn't interested in Adrien anymore but then why? It didn't match up!

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was sweet and happy go lucky! She got determined and excited and took charge when needed to! Hell, she was their everyday Ladybug!

Or at least... she had been.

Now she was just the girl who sat at the back, alone... isolated... only called on when Bustier called her out on not being a perfect example or... or when Lila was accusing her of something.

Lila's descriptions of Marinette made her seem like Chloe turned up to max and then timesed by ten. But if that was true Marinette would act that way openly.

The only thing stopping her would be Bustier, but she'd caught glances of the girl discretely giving their teachers turned back the middle finger enough times to know that that alone wouldn't be a deterrent.

Class rebuttal?

No. Because she wouldn't care.

... that wasnt right.

That really, really wasn't right. It wouldn't be that Marinette didn't care, it's that it wouldn't change anyone's opinions. Since when had her opinion gotten so low?

It had been gradually. She could remember that. Seeing their strained relations as Marinette's fault rather than something unusual...

Her head hurt, her face hurt and her heart hurt.

Alya was sure she wasn't to blame. There has to be something she was missing, because she was a journalist damn it! There's no way she'd just believe everything thrown at her without a shred of proof!

Yeah... yeah!

Why did she feel like she was being completely ironic right now?

* * *

Emille watched as her phone screen lit up with an unknown number. Normally she'd just ignore it, but something told her to answer. Who knew, maybe she'd hear something mildly amusing to day after all.

" _Hello? Is this Mme.Cupla? My name is Sabine Dupain-Cheng, our children are schoolmates."_

"Hello Mme. Dupain-Cheng," it was unsual for sure, why had Félix given her personal number to someone's parents? Especially when this person was only a 'business partner', "Has Félix scared your daughter away?"

She laughs,finding relief when Dupain-Cheng joined in. Thankfully her son hasn't done anything to ruin this new potential friendship. Also this is a parent not school or Gabriel so this is two days on the trot of close proximity to Adrien that Félix hasn't used as an excuse to start a fight with his cousin.

Perhaps she should set up a reward system to incentives this pacifist behaviour? No. That would only irritate her son and it's a rather mocking idea isn't it?

" _Quite the opposite actually... Marinette got very upset today and was under threat of attracting an akuma,"_ somehow she can't put negative emotions to the bubbly personality she'd met last weekend, _"Félix helped her clam down a little and made sure she got home safe_."

Like a true gentleman, that's her son.

_"I just... Félix won't accept the thanks saying it's what anyone should do, but your son has done far more than what anyone seems to be willing to do anymore. Could I get your address, if that's alright with you, so i can reliever some thank you pastries?"_

Emille decides then and there that the Dupain-Cheng family (at the very least the female side of it) are adorably friendly.

"I can come collect them myself Mme. Duplin-Cheng, I was going to go collect Félix anyway," not necessarily true but she can take a long break to go pick up her son and learn more about this new business partner he's so keen on, " My visit would happen sooner or later anyway, Félix was singing the bakeries praises all last night after all."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got visited by the illusive Lila commenter and I feel validated? Bc I've only seen her on big fics so even though my work is tiny in comparison to the stuff I've seen the commenter on, I feel special.
> 
> Also side note, please please I'm literally begging you because it's starting to tick me off, if you don't like something just don't read it. If you think the writing is bad or the characterization is off, but you have no intentions of reading anymore content on that story just LEAVE.
> 
> If aren't willing to offer constructive criticism or, you are but then react like a pedantic brat when the author gives a reason for the issue you pointed out, just don't bother commenting.
> 
> Because it's annoying, as I'm sure you guys know, but for some reason some people don't know and I felt the need to make a PSA because one particularly commentor or this fic has made it impossible for me to get excited seeing a notification for a new comment because I'm just waiting for the new instalment in this pedantic argument.

Nora is outraged when she sees her little sister trudge into their flat with a slap mark on her face, it's red and already starting to swell so will most definitely leave a mark.

Her mind immediately goes to the boyfriend, it doesn't add up because Nino has always seemed sweet as sugar and nervous as a turtle but looks can be deceiving and she isn't about to let what she perceives effect her judgement if the kid has hit her sister.

But the foundation's of her world are rocked when it turns out it's _Marinette_ that's slapped Alya.

And unlike with Nino who she'd be willing to put aside her view on, there's no way in hell that Marinette has hit Alya without a reason to. It doesn't make it okay, but there's a reason.

Unfortunately Nora has seen Alya push Marinette, not physically but she's seen her sister push her friend out of her comfort zone time and time again when a lot of the time it isn't a barrier Marinette wanted to push through but rather one Alya wanted her to.

It isn't healthy and she'd had a chat with Alya about it but her sister was stubborn and she's pretty sure the talk went in one ear and out the other.

But the point is she's seen Alya push Marinette too far, and like an idiot she never stepped in until afterwards which is her own fault but she tried to fix what she could have of the mess she'd watched unfold.

In the aftermath Marinette never got physically violent, Marinette never even got verbally violent. Teary and shrieking yeah, but that's because Marinette had been _mortified_ , but aggressive? Hell no.

"Why did she hit you?"

Really, she should be comforting Alya, telling her that they'll get it sorted with the school right away and that they won't let this happen again, but Nora needs to know what's caused this sudden climatic shift in behaviour.

Mainly because she doesn't think Alya will tell her if she starts off obviously on her sister's side. When Alya gets defensive she loses her filter and its playing dirty, sure, but it gets her what she needs.

"We got into an argument," immediately that confuses her because the girls _never_ argue, "and I didn't realise some things and Marinette got _really_ angry and slapped me."

"I _said_ why did she hit you." 

Alya's head snaps up to look at her, previously she'd been focused on fiddling with her phone case - she notices it isn't the one Nora had commissioned Marinette to make Alya for her birthday anymore, and the younger girls face twists into a confused expression.

"What-"

"You've done plenty of shit that's upset Marinette, stuff I probably would have slapped you for and she never even berated you for it viciously." Alya looks shocked and Nora finds that that's a good thing, "So she has a reason for hitting you, so what the hell did you do."

"I don't know!"

Alya slams the hand that doesn't have her phone on the table, her voice is shaky but she doesn't look like she's going to cry. "I don't know okay! She's changed - Marinette isn't the girl I was best friends with anymore and I don't know why!"

Nora rubs between her brows, something tells her this is going to be a _long_ conversation.

"What makes you say she's changed?"

"Because- because she's being such a _bitch!_ All she's done since Lila joined the class is dismiss her or call her a liar, not to mention she's just been ignoring us and looking down at us!"

She can't put that characterization against Marinette but doesn't mention it and lets Alya continue.

"And sure! Lila has said a few things that turned up to be mistakes on her part, but that's no excuse!"

"Wait, wait wait!" That sounds very wrong and needs _way_ more explaining, "What do you mean Lila's said a few things that turned out to be mistakes? What does that have to do with Marinette!?"

Her sister actually falters at that, eyes narrowing at thin air as if trying to figure out the answer to that question herself.

"Well... Lila's accused Marinette of a few things that have turned out not to be her..."

Nora can feel anger rising up in her for Marinette, the kid has had multiple false accusations and Alya is defending her over Marinette? If Nora was in the same situation she'd be dismissing and calling the girl out as well!

And is Marinette actually ignoring the other classmates or is she just refusing to listen to slander about herself?

" _ **Like what.**_ " Alya's face drops at her tone but she doesn't care. It's becoming obvious more and more that something is very wrong here, " I said Alya, like what? What has Lila _lied_ about Marinette about?"

"..." she starts fiddling with her phone again, "She's claimed Marinette stole her things a few times... said she bullied her and yesterday she said she hit her."

If her jaw isn't in the damn Parisian catacombs she doesn't know where it is.

"And you're still defending her!?" Her rage bubbles over and she slams her hands down as she stands and towers over her sister, "Once or twice sure people make mistakes, but come on Alya! Bullying!? Theft!? Assault!? Do you realise how serious those accusations are!?"

"Of course-"

"Marinette could get a criminal record, you idiot!" Alya grows pale and it seems to be a new revelation, "If a staff member got the police involved Marinette could get investigated for theft or assault - that type of false accusation could ruin her life!"

"Lila wouldn't do something like that- she's a good person!"

" _Lying about things like that isn't something a good person would do!"_

"She just gets confused! Lila has memory issues-"

Nora can't stop the barking laughter then, she feels like she's actually a bit hysterical in that moment. How had she failed as a big sister so badly that her sister would be so blind.

"...Nora...?"

The laughter continues and she actually ends up hunched over, forehead pressed into the table top just to try and stop herself from falling to the ground. 

"Nora are you okay...?"

"Am _I okay!?_ " her sister jumps as she pulls herself up, "Not only are you believing this Lila girl despite the fact she's clearly an unreliable person but you believe her even when she's got these apparent memory issues?!"

"I- I don't understand..."

She snarls, anger at this bitch who's playing her sister rising up inside, "You're being played for a _**fool**_. This Lila is taking advantage of your kindness."

"She...Lila wouldn't..."

"Never mind that right now," she has to get back on track, "What did you say to Marinette that made her hit you?"

They stare each other down for a few seconds and eventually they move forward in the conversation.

"I told her that instead of complaining she could have just said no, I told her to stop making herself the martyr."

So many alarm bells go off just from the first half of that sentence. It's giving her such a horrendous headache that if it wasn't so serious shed of called this quits already.

"Why was she making herself the martyr?"

"I tried to apologize for believing she'd actually attack Lila and she just - she just went off! Telling me that my apology was self-serving and that it meant nothing because I'd just go back on it later!"

From the sounds of it the argument was already pretty heated before Marinette hit Alya.

"All because a few weeks ago Lila lost her homework and said it must have been stolen. And the only one in the room with her bag in the time it went missing was Marinette-"

"Why the Hell did she not have her bag on her!" It's standard protocol everywhere that you don't leave a valuable item unattended unless absolutely needed in case of having to evacuate due to akuma's.

"And it turned out Lila had put it in the bin with some old notes by accident. We only found out the next day because one of the cleaners had noticed the date on the blank sheet."

The fact Alya is dodging the question is telling that she's still salty about the situation.

"What did you expect her to think?" Is all she can ask.

"I expected her to realise it was a mistake!"

"One you've made numerous times, you just immediately believed Lila about the assault didn't you? You never asked Marinette her side I'm guessing." When her sister doesn't argue she knows that unfortunately she's right, "So logically, if I was in Marinette's shoes, I wouldn't believe you were sincere about your apology either."

Alya tries to defend herself and she just talks over her.

"I mean, every few weeks you jump down her throat because some girl who's proven time and time again is _targeting_ Marinette points the finger. Why should she accept the apology, it sounds pretty self serving from here Alya."

Instead of listening to her Alya screams and stands up, " I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG DAMNNIT!" And storms out the room, bedroom door slamming shut behind her.

Sighing Nora takes a few seconds to make sure her emotions are under control be fire preceding to grab the house phone and phone the Dupain-Cheng residence.

The phone is picked up nearly right away and a _very_ pissed Mrs. Duplin-Cheng answers the phone.

"Alya I dont know how you think you have the right to even phone after-"

"Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, it's Nora."

The Chinese woman stops mid rant before quick firing apologies and asking for forgiveness for her rude behaviour.

"Don't worry Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I just got done having a conversation with Alya about today and I completely understand.

_"You do?"_

"I do," Nora finds herself nodding even though she's on the phone, "I wanted to apologize to Marinette for the sheer idiocy my sister's committed. I also wanted to let you know that I'm Alya's go-to person in case of school meetings so if Alya tries to bring this up with the school _I_ will be there."

She can hear the woman's relief over the phone.

"And I promise I won't let Marinette have something like that stupid near expulsion happen again. Has she explained to you what's happened, Alya's given a _very_ one-sided account but it's all just sounding so wrong."

" _Marinette has, and she's expressed that she's sorry for slapping Alya but the way your sister's been treating her..."_

"Hey, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, if it isn't over-stepping could I come over and talk to Marinette about it? Just so that I have the full picture?"

" _Is later okay? Félix, a new student, brought Marinette home and she's pretty distraught, we don't want her attracting an Akuma so maybe when she's calmed down?"_

"Of course! I wouldn't want to put Marinette through something like that, later is more than fine, just phone and I'll come over."

" _...Thank you Nora."_

"No problem Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

* * *

It's only hours after returning home, the Cupla's have left and its been awhile since she's had dinner that Marinette really sits there and _thinks_ about what she'd said and done during the argument with Alya.

The most prominent thought is that she'd slapped her. Horrifically, the next is that she isn't even sorry for it.

Like a runaway stone her thoughts only get worse from there; not only is she not sorry for slapping Alya, the only issue she has is that Lila will spin this to show she's a horrible person. Then she spirals down the rabbit hole of what she'd said exactly. And once more her emotions turn sickening when once more the conclusion hits her that she's only worried about how other people will see the situation without context than the actual ramifications they'll have on her relationship with Alya.

She feels like a horrible person, but she'd _needed_ that argument. 

Marinette had needed an outlet, and unfortunately Alya had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But... the way she'd just thought a simple apology was enough after accusing her of assault and not initially believing witness that had Nov reason to be biased in her favour... it made her blood boil!

All that explains though is that Alya was the final push into the fall into rage and sadness induced oblivion.

What Marinette wants is an explanation to why it felt so _good_ to scream at Alya, she wants to know why telling her exactly what she thought for once was so good.

Of course she knows, she just doesn't want to acknowledge the answer.

"Marinette..." Tikki's voice pulls her from her thoughts and she realises she's started making the template she'd drawn up earlier, considering she wasn't concentrating it's decent enough, but she looks to the kwamii to see a concerned look on her face, "Are you feeling better? When Félix brought you home you were really out of it."

"..."

Does she feel better?

That's a loaded question isn't it? Marinette _does_ feel better because she's got the whole argument off of her chest, but she doesn't at the same time because now she's stressing and thinking about how the fallout is going to destroy any semblance of standing she has in the class.

Even if by some miracle Alya decides to say it was a simple slap in the middle of an argument she can just see how everyone will spin it to be Alya is too afraid of her and is defending her for fear of bodily harm.

At one point she'd laugh at herself and say she was spiralling into stupid non-existent probabilities but now? Now Marinette feels that Lila is winning.

Not because she's turned her friends against her (because Marinette helped with that in the end didn't she) but because she's gotten into her head. Lila has won because she's taken root in the back of her mind and making her feel paranoid and suspicious of everything said or done to her.

"Marinette?"

"Am I a bad person?" The question shocks the kwamii she can tell that much and when Tikki just stares at her jaw hanging open she continues.

"At the first hint of my friends turning to Lila's side I didn't even _try_ and convince them to stay by my side, I let them go. " bringing a hand up she tugs her hair out of its pigtails, "All I've done since is be rude, I could have at least tried to have been civil but I didn't. I _let_ my classmates go and then all I've been is rude, does that make me a bad person?"

The kwamii flies down and rests on top of her pattern, a sorrowful look in her eyes, "You _did_ try Marinette, and they didn't listen. Perhaps ignoring them when they were talking to you was rude _originally_ but... you made the right choice to let them go."

She catches Tikki's wording. 'Originally' means that by this point the kawmii thinks she's right to be ignoring them, she remembers then that Tikki hears everything said to her as well. 

When she doesn't say anything Tikki's gaze softens and when she speaks once more she can tell the kwamii is really trying to get through to her.

"Alya told you to get proof when she didn't have any, Nino is your childhood friend he should know better than to just believe a stranger." Nodding along she listens, _really listens_ , "Adrien is desensitized but he should have seen that it was hurting you regardless. And the others?"

Tikki makes a motion Marinette is sure is supposed to be a very aggressive shrug of the shoulders, that or Tikki decided to act like a bobble head for a few seconds.

"Kim has also known you since you were a child and while he isn't doing anything he isn't stopping his two best friends from trying to hurt you. The ones that aren't doing anything are allowing it to happen."

Even though she gets what Tikki is saying her question still isn't being answered and she goes to say as much but doesn't get the chance.

"They're acting like bad people. You made the right choice for your mental health Marinette - you could have done it more eloquently sure but what's done is done," she suddenly finds Tikki cuddling her cheek, "Marinette you are _not_ a bad person so don't ever say that about yourself!"

The embodiment of good luck tries to sound intimidating and serious but her squeaky high pitched voice doesn't allow for it very well. That's why Marinette starts laughing, she starts laughing and its unstoppable.

She isn't in hysterics but its almost there.

It's been so long since she's been told she isn't a bad person by someone other than her parents. Comments about her being a good pupil or a good designer were all well and good, and don't get her wrong she enjoyed being told that her efforts were well received, but being told you were a good person was different.

"Thank you," through the giggling and subsequent crying she gets the words out, "Thank you so much Tikki."

"Marinette! Nora is here!" Quickly wiping away the tears she forces herself up out of the chair, she'd forgotten Nora was coming to see her.

"I'll be down in a second mama!"

* * *

Nora feels her anger fester and build within her the mire Marinette explains what's been going on at school, pulling up entire _fucking powerpoints_ filled with near obsessive amounts of evidence so that someone besides her parents will finally believe her.

It sickens her to think Marinette feels she has to go thid far to be believed.

By the time they get to the 'Lila wasn't traveling and here's why' powerpoint, specifically the Heroes day slide, its nothing more than years of breathing techniques and the past few months of lessons learning to channel her emotions that stops her from attracting an akuma.

"Marinette," she puts a hand cautiously on the girls arm, spooking her because she's so engrossed in presenting her evidence, "it's okay kid, I believe you. You've proven you're in the right."

Honestly Nora didn't know what reaction she was expecting but it wasn't for the petitie Franco-Chinese girl to launch herself at her and hug her for dear life.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The tears are unmistakable in her voice, " _Thank you so much for believing me_."

It's heart wrenching hearing this kid say something like that.

What's worse though, in her eyes at least, is that she should be giving Alya this comfort. She should be at home listening to her sister rant and rave and nodding along and standing by her.

But in good conscious she just _can't_.

Nora would do anything for her family, she'd give every last bit of herself and then some, but she can't condone this.

Alya has lost sight of herself, she's been blinded by false opportunity and refuses to look away long enough to blink the spots out of her eyes. As the eldest child it's her responsibility to pull her siblings back onto the straight and narrow when she sees them going off course.

"Hey, kid, it's fine. You don't need to thank me, I haven't even done anything to help you yet."

Marinette shakes her head almost violently and she's more than a bit worried.

"Believing me is more than enough."

And isn't that actually devastating?

Whilst at the Dupain-Cheng residence she's gotten a play by play of the argument and had been able to tell that despite being mostly justified Marinette was regretful for her actions in some respect. She's also gotten more in detail accounts of what exactly Alya'a been doing.

She's sure it must be awkward for Marinette to essentially rat Alya out, but needs must. Nora had no idea her sister was turning into a cartoon villains lackey!

How stupid could the reporter in her sister be to demand evidence and yet present none!? Damn it Marinette had presented evidence and then had Nora search it up herself to make sure sje wasnt misrepresenting anything!

That was what Alya should be doing.

Perhaps the worst thing though, is seeing what the Ladyblog has devolved into. Nora had a healthy amount of respect for the Parisian superheroes (they were clearly the same age as her younger sister she felt like they should get all the props they got and more) but she'd never really been interested in them.

Sure if a news report of Ladybug and Chat Noir's latest accomplishments was on the television she might pay attention but the Ladyblog was Alya's little domain of Ladybug super heroine heaven.

Now it was nothing more than a glorified gossip rag. More clickbait than a cringey YouTube video and more videos as of late about _Lila_ than actual superhero content.

Alya's ranting about her blog losing followers made sense now, her sister has thought the rival blog that had popped up, 'Bug Spot' or something like that, has been stealing viewers but it was obvious now that while the rival blog might be attracting the original viewers of the Ladyblog it was the blogs actual content that was forcing people away.

Why her sister thought it was even _safe_ to put up a video saying some random civilian - who gave her full name on the internet like an actual idiot like doxxing wasn't a thing- was Ladybug's best friend (wrong much? Nora didn't pay much attention but EVERYONE had seen the Nadjia interview where Ladybug said Chat Noir was her best friend) and then say said civilian was _Her_ best friend like that wouldn't have Hawkmoth targeting their family if he wanted to get at Ladybug.

The imagine of Ella and Etta being held hostage by Hawkmoth made her unbearably angry and she hated it.

Pushing that thought out of her mind takes great effort, but she's still hugging Marinette and Alya and Nino had proven that two people could be fused into one akuma so she won't take any chances.

"I think it's time to let Nora go home dumpling." Mrs. Dupain-Cheng interrupts and Marinette jumps off of her like she's burning.

Nora has to wonder when the last time she hugged someone that wasn't family was. She can remember from the few times Marinette has been over that she's a very affectionate person, but now she's being isolated and abandoned...

Not to mention this Félix kid sounds as stiff as a board so there's more chance of hell freezing over than Marinette being able to express physical affection through him. 

There isn't anything wrong with that, but affectionate people needed outlets at the end of the day.

"Yeah you're right, it's getting late..." pulling out her phone she pales when she sees the five paragraph texts her mother's sent her, skimming over them its to find that initially her mother's furious about Alya being slapped, only for it to evolve into how if Nora knew about Alya's behaviour she was going to have her neck rung as well, "Might as well get going now and weather the storm."

Mrs. Dupain-Cheng sees the texts and shakes her head humoured, like the destruction of Nora is a source if amusement.

Given the fact the lady must be a burning ball of rage and hasn't attracted Hawkmoth she can only imagine she's trying to find pleasure and happiness in anything and everything.

"Keep your chin up alright Marinette?" She taps her under the chin lightly with a fist and sends a smile at the small girl, "You and that new friend of yours focus on pulling the rug out from under her feet and let the rest of us focus on keeping you safe."

Before she leaves she's given two more bone crushing hugs, one from solely Marinette and then the second is all three Dupain-Cheng's ganging up on her.

It isn't too bad, it's warm and feels safe.

She can see why Marinette likes hugs so much if that's what she grew up getting all day every day.

* * *

Marinette is a ball of nervous energy and chaotic choices when she walks into school the next day.

People seem to be looking at her with awe and it's more than a little bit uncomfortable because no one is saying anything to her face but everyone that isn't in her class is looking at her like she'd proclaimed she'd taken Hawkmoth down and was hoisting up his miraculous as proof.

She's that sleep deprived she wouldn't put it past her sleep walking self to have sussed the literal terrorist out and taken him down only to not remember the actual fight.

It's exaggeration of course, but that's the kind of pressure she feels from the awe filled looks.

Nobody is in class bar Félix when she turns up, it's a theme now she notices - three days on the bounce, and he greets her with that not-a-grin-but-not-a-smile twitch of the lips she saw when she said she was fey.

"Everyone seems excited, did you kill Rossi without me?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." She takes a swig from her trusty thermos and spots Félix's own on the desk.

He doesn't look like he's ever got less than nine and a half hours sleep in his life but she got a whiff of the contents of the theorems yesterday and she's never smelt tea so strong before. There must be enough caffeine in the thing to stop a heart, but considering the actual monstrosity she's drinking she has no room to judge.

"Plausible deniability," the boy nods like they're co-conspirators (which she guesses they are in a sense) and he seems a bit too friendly today, "I like the way you think."

"Alright Agreste, where the actual fuck is Cupla, Félix isn't this cheery it's unnerving."

"What do you mean Dupain-Cheng?" A sickeningly sweet smile is shot at her and its the same one that had been shot at Lila days prior, "I'm Félix Cupla, _shy_ but _caring_ teen boy who's just so _misunderstood_."

It's genuinely freaky to see the stoically inclined boy from the past two days be replaced with... this.

"After all, if Rossi wants to try and convince dear uncle I'm a bad influence I'm just going to have to out do her." It's a revelation and a half that Lila is trying to poison Gabriel against his own nephew but when she thinks she isn't even surprised.

Stopping at the end of the desk she leans her back on it, looking over her shoulder at the blond to see gim dropping the act, before cradling his thermos in his hands like a lifeline.

"I'm not even surprised she's trying to poison him against his own family."

Félix hums, taking a drink and Marinette turns her head to watch people pass by their classroom, calm and joyful, completely unaware of what they're discussing or what they plan to do.

"Question," she glances at the boy, "What exactly are you going to do so I know what I'm not supposed to react to?"

The boy looks tired for a few seconds before it disappears, "We both know Adrien can't stand up to dear old dad, so I'm going to take _every_ opportunity to be as polite and kind in front of him as possible. So that he has to refute Rossi's claims if she tried anything."

"Beat her at her own game..." She nods to herself, imagining how the ploy would pan out.

"Exactly."

This isn't something she'd expect Cupla to come up with though , it doesn't fit the quiet life MO he'd been pushing and its an almost three sixty on his personality.

"And this is your idea?"

"Oh no, a friend from England suggested it and I decided that it would be worth a shot. More opportunity to plant seeds of doubt."

"Interesting..."

Félix tags a swig of his own drink and they exist for a few more minutes in muted silence before the blond speaks once more, "What _did_ you do though that has everyone looking at you like you've hung the star's?"

"I seriously don't know?" A pair from another class pass their room and she hears her name before they disappear down the corridor out of sight, "All I know is that I walked in and I'm suddenly a celebrity."

"Hm... it'd be best we figure out what's caused your spike in popularity and quickly, it could help later."

Just as they're about to go back to their companionable silence the rooms door is thrown open and in a rare show of confidence Marc shouts her name.

"Marinette! Marinette is it true!?" The artist seems giddy for some reason.

"Is what true?"

The boy doesn't seem put off for a second and he brushes his hair out of his face before continuing, "Is it true you're friends with Chat Noir and Ladybug!?"

Her thoughts consist of two words. 'Oh fuck.'

" ** _What_**?" Her and Cupla speak simultaneously, they must also share a look of disbelief and downright confusion because Marc looks back and forth a few times before continuing.

"Huh...." Marc focuses mainly on her then, "It's just the Bugspot posted an article last night about the credibility of content on the Ladyblog," he starts to pull out his phone, opening up the Bugspot and going to the latest article, "and they pointed out how you got Alya a personal interview; but like you're credited in like the last five seconds of the video."

Well she's truly screwed over now.

Marinette had always wondered how people hadn't gone crazy about the fact she'd gotten the interview for Alya, but it turned out her once friend had been doing her a favour and bad left the credit for the interview to the end.

She wasn't annoyed and to be honest she wouldn't have cared if Alya had never revealed how exactly she'd gotten the interview. What she was annoyed at slightly though, was that now everybody would want to ask questions.

The quiet spell they'd had recently with Akuma's would have to keep going until this whole interest wore down because she didn't think it'd be possible to sneak away and transform if everyone wanted her to talk to Ladybug.

If she used the Fox miraculous and used mirage to make herself look out of costume and also create a Ladybug fake it could work; but that was thinking too far ahead.

"Yeah I got Alya the interview, but that doesn't mean I'm _friends_ with the superheroes!"

Marc gave her a look she didn't understand, but would best describe it as being in the know of something that nobody else was without it seeming smug.

"I believe you Marinette. But you might want to go get Aurora and Myriell to say that or else everyone is probably going to be hounding you."

-*-

After receiving the news Marinette had hunted Aurora and Myriell down and had them post an article saying that she was not friends with the resident superheroes and that she'd simply exchanged baked goods for an interview.

She'd refused to comment about the numerous times she'd been seen 'hanging out' with Chat Noir, and seeing her distress the girls had written those away as conspiracies as well. Which Marinette was grateful for; because it meant that at least in some small part her day would be a hell of a lot less hectic.

Upon returning to class and sitting down though, everything got a bit intense once more.

Mainly because she had to explain that Nora was on their side and that they'd be best to start pushing Gabriel away starting now, which Lila was still in shock.

Given the fact Félix had been planning on playing the darling angel it tied in well with the first major official part of step two. Once that had been discussed they'd settled into companiable silence once more, her sketching and Félix reading.

The peace didn't last.

Because of course it wouldn't.

In a twist of fate that for anyone, that didn't have the embodiment of luck in their pocket, would say was divine intervention at its finest the disruption of the peace has nothing to do with her.

Rather it has to do with Lila's newest tall tale.

Never before had Marinette thought she'd be glad to see Lila swagger into class regaling some hyper realistic lie. But there she was, dominant hand strangling a pencil as she watched the students she dragged into her new web trail like lost puppies.

"That author isn't even alive anymore...."

Félix once more doesn't try to hide his words, not that he shouts them but if you were listening to the general chatter you'd pick up on them. It makes sense really that Lila is talking literature; she's trying to play Félix completely unaware that he knows her plan and objective.

After that thought she takes time to survey her class as it fills up.

Tikki's words from the night before come back to her:

_"you made the right choice letting them go."_

_"The ones that aren't doing anything are allowing it to happen."_

Still painful she doesn't want to truly accept that the words are true. Nathaniel made sure she was okay when Adrien cornered her! But... he's only doing anything where Lila can't see it, and not for the same reasons as her and Félix. Kim and Nino have tried to protect her credibility! But their attempts are piss poor and with Kim he's doing nothing to prevent his best friends physically attempting to harm her.

It's a spiral of excuses and realizations and Marinette hates that she's okay with that.

Her Kwamii had said she wasn't a good person, but looking out at her class of liars, bully proxies, bystanders and at the schemer beside her she thinks none of them are good people really.

Not anymore at least.

Turning her eyes back to her sketch she sighs in agitation.

Félix isn't her friend, he'd made it clear he wasn't interested in friendship and that their partnership against Lila was the extent their relationship would go because that was all he was comfortable with. And she understands that! Not to mention they've known each other two days and a bit at this point.

But! Marinette is a social creature, she craves friendship and loves giving affection so she's in constant battle with herself to not sling her arm around Félix or bump shoulders with him.

It's irritating but when she reminds herself they aren't friends everything's fine. However after only knowing her two days Félix had done something both incredibly stupid and heart felt.

He'd made sure she got home safe. And sure she only lived literally across the street, but in the two minutes it takes to get home she could have attracted an akuma or worse she could have gotten into an accident.

After all she was so out of it she doesn't actually remember what happened between after she ended the argument with Alya and when the Cupla's were sat in her living room having tea and discussing and conplimenting her mother's interior design choices. It was a very odd transition period and she just had to wonder how the two events had transference into the other but found it best not to question such things.

Top and bottom of it, despite not being her friend he did more than her friends ever had after an argument.

When she and Alya had small spats nobody would ever make sure that she didn't attract an akuma, all attention would be on making sure Alya didn't and the other girls always just wanted to resolve the issue diplomatically rather than actually listening to her side of the story.

Luka had been the only one who had ever listened to her gripe after arguments but, aside from answering the texts that came through every other day to make sure she was okay, she hadn't spoken to the older boy in awhile.

Paranoia and crippling fear that he hated her now, that he'd chosen to believe whatever Lila had told Juleka and which she had then repeated plagued her.

Her mind told her that, logically, if Luka hated her now he wouldn't text her every few days to make sure she was okay. Nor would he attempt to visit her at the bakery often as well.

She'd only gotten out of those surprise visits because she'd miraculously always be in the middle of a major project.

It felt horrible lying to get out of the visits but she couldn't bare the thought that Luka was just being nice and coming to drop her as a friend in the privacy of her own home.

"Damn, Dupain-Cheng..." The slight awe in Félix's voice draws her from her thoughts, "You certainly left a mark."

Marinette let her eyes drift to where Alya was sat, bruised and swelling cheek exposed to the world. The would-be reporter seemed unfazed by the sudden attention on her but Nino certainly cared, fussing over his girlfriend and her newly exposed mark.

She had to force herself to look away, lest she feel sudden overwhelming guilt or said something inappropriate.

Cruel and disgustingly a thought flirted through her mind when she and Alya met eyes just be fire she looked away, _'You deserved it._ '

Nobody deserved having a physical reminder on their skin, but apparently her subconscious didn't share the sentiment.

True to form Lila was as attentive as Nino, but if anyone looked below the sweet words they'd see the glee in her eyes.

"If by lunchtime she hasn't started a rumour that you were the one to hit Alya, I'll buy us lunch at a restaurant of your choosing."

Félix eyes flickered over to her and they widened in what she presumed were surprise before they wrinkled ever so slightly as a cocky smirk spread across his face.

"Counting on the fact she's trying to turn uncle against me, clever. However you forget she's trying to get on my good side. If you win though," he paused for dramatics, " _I'll_ buy you the fabric you were grousing over not having yesterday."

Momentarily shocked that Félix had even _listened_ to her when she'd complained under her breath at break she couldn't help but smirk when she recovered from the shock.

"You're on Cupla."

Perhaps Félix wasn't her friend, but as she looked at her 'business' partner she would it didn't really matter.

They didn't need to be friends to have fun together. Even if this strange... unorthodox fun was betting on whether or not one of them would be blamed for slapping someone.

Her life hadn't been normal since she'd become Ladybug, she didn't expect it to start being normal now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So thanks for all the WONDERFUL comments you guys have left, but my mini rant and the mention of the Lila commenter? COMPLETELY unrelated.
> 
> I found the Lila commenter to be funny actually, seeing as they were something different in the barrage I was getting from the person the mini rant was about. Thanks though for everyone that told me not to worry and that the story was nice; you guys are beautiful people. (All of you readers are of course, but I'm just saying them in particular right now)
> 
> Anyway! Onto the story and we'll be seeing a time skip soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is SO late I'm so sorry

The day isn't going as he expected it to, given its his third day and its a reoccurring theme he thinks it might just be how Francis Dupont _works_.

First, Dupain-Cheng turns up early, two, half the school us looking and talking about his desk mate like she's _Ladybug_ , thirdly hell breaks loose when Césaire accidentally reveals the bruise on her face.

Seeing the mark Dupain-Cheng had left behind had left him in a twisted kind of awe; for her tiny lithe frame Dupain-Cheng packed a lot of weight behind her slaps and he presumed her punches. Maybe that Ladybug idea wasn't too far fetched after all...

He jests of course, but he can definitely see Ladybug choosing the girl for temporary hero status - but her being Ladybug is too far a stretch.

Dupain-Cheng is stretched thin as it is, no way she'd be able to still function and be a hero on the side. No doubt she'd give it a shot but Fèlix can already tell she so done to burning herself out - and as someone who's literally on Paris' beck and call that isn't a good trait.

Loath as he was to admit it as well, Ladybug just seemed more confident than Dupain-Cheng, in a different way to the raw unbridled true nature of his desk mate. Ladybug was analytical and logical, cold almost in her calculations; Dupain-Cheng was much more emotional in that sense. 

Where Ladybug used cold logic, Dupain-Cheng used empathy to drive her decisions.

Or that at least was what he'd derived about the girl so far.

In regards to their bet he's already mentally going through a list of restaurants near the school he'd like to eat at.

Depressingly, despite the fact she'd threatened him yesterday, Rossi seemed to think him incompetent and was trying to get on his good side while 'secretly' bad mouthing him to his uncle. Because of that he _knew_ she wouldn't risk blaming him for the bruise.

While it was true Dupain-Cheng had slapped Césaire, Rossi would twist it and morph the explanation of 'an accident during an argument' into something so much more wicked and convoluted.

By the time break rolls around the verdict should be able to be taken in, who will be coughing up the money is the question they both want the answer to. Because Rossi has been chatting up not a storm but a full blown natural disaster at the front.

Their bet has to be withheld though when they find out that her topic had _nothing_ to do with the perpetrator of the slap. As is evident by the lack of dirty looks (disregarding the usual ones at Dupain-Cheng from the usual suspects) shot their way.

If one of them had been accused Félix knew the class would _rip_ into them. 

Honestly it was actually a little pathetic the way the teenager's acted.

They were like attack dogs, quiet and minding their own business until their owner tugs on the chain or whistles in a particular way.

No matter. With four other people backing them up (his mother, Dupain-Cheng's parents and Césaire's older sister of all people) their plan should go along swimmingly - teenagers acting like attack dogs would merely be a spread bump.

It would slow them down, but ultimately wouldn't derail the journey unless they were stupid about how they interacted with them.

"So, I have to ask," Bustier is still talking at the front of the room and had it been any other teacher he would be appalled with himself for talking through the lesson, but Félix knows the content for this particular literature lesson and Dupain-Cheng has a full page of already written notes in front of her, "How did you get the interview with Ladybug?"

His desk mate startled, it's possibly the first time he's seen it and its rather amusing, looking towards him with a raised brow.

"Why do you want to know?"

Rightfully she's cautious, this is merely just another example of why Dupain-Cheng is going to be a brilliant business partner.

"I don't want to gain anything from it, I'm just curious."

Something he's noticed is that Dupain-Cheng takes on _a lot_ , more than he thinks she's actually meant to.

Because of that he's also noticed she always assumes people want something out of her for almost everything she could possibly do besides breathing. He has a feeling she worried even that would cost her one day.

As someone who always has an 'angle' when he offers aid - not true it's just more than a bit common - he'd usually hate his desk mate; but Félix can respect her drive and the way she looks out for herself.

"... I'd been the target of more than three consecutive Akuma's at the time," he'll admit to his eyes widening at the news, "Ladybug turned up to you know, check on me a few times. At the time Alya had been going _on and on_ about getting an interview."

"So on one of these visits you asked her if she'd do an interview?"

A sliver of a smile creeped onto her lips.

"I attempted to bribe her with cookies," it sounds like another personal joke - like the bakery recommendation had been - and Félix decides to ignore it because people are entitled to their own secrets, "It didn't work because she figured me out pretty quickly, when I explained that the Ladyblog wanted to just sit down and talk to her she agreed."

-*-

By the time lunch rolls around nothing has been said in relation to Césaire's injury, however everyone has seemed to pick up on the fact Dupain-Cheng is now a minor celebrity.

(Rossi had been uncomfortably silent on the gossiping front and it made him on edge, but according to Dupain-Cheng it was a common trend and her theory was that Rossi laid off for a few days at a time to watch her victim squirm as they waited for the torture to begin again.)

Félix had figured they'd all be too loyal to the Ladyblog and its creator to read the Bugspot.

In the spare time between lessons and in them really, Félix has been pushing his kindness agenda as well, the staff have probably never seen someone so enthusiastic to help put before - it's a little sickening how overly friendly he's having to be, but Rossi can't talk shit when Adrien is going to be his unwitting invaluable witness.

He should really be ashamed of himself for exploiting his cousins lack of backbone, but needs must.

Underhandedness is the game of winners, and if anything else that's what Félix is.

Over all Félix finds it hilarious when lunch breaks out, neither of them have won the bet so they're in a bit of a predicament on that front, and people who had usually kept their heads down suddenly had a vested interest in Dupain-Cheng.

The punk girl and her pink girlfriend in particular, along with the boy with red hair who'd seemed ready to drag Adrien off for Dupain-Cheng the day before.

"Wow I can't believe you know _the_ Ladybug! I know the latest article says you exchanged sweet treats but you must know her on like a personal level right?" 

"Not really," the girls and boy seemed to have picked up that Félix has his personal space and that its a crime to invade it because they're standing in the row in front of their desk, "Like I told Aurora and Myriell, it was the result of the akuma's targeting me and Alya _really_ wanting an interview."

The pink girl seems a bit upset at that, perhaps she was hoping Marinette was friends with the superhero for some reason? The punk just nods and doesn't appear to have a particular stance on it but the boys reaction is the most interesting to Félix.

He seems embarrassed, ashamed almost? The way at the mention of akuma's he looks away makes him curious. It'd been no surprise or secret really that his class was the 'akuma class'. All of them had been akumatised at some point.

Every. Single. Student.

Baring Dupain-Cheng and Adrien, Adrien has to be so desensitized to disappointment that Hawkmoth can't really get anything to latch onto and the way Dupain-Cheng had for all intents and purposes shut down after an intense argument made him wonder if that was her way of not attracting Hawkmoth.

"I really am sorry about my akumatisation Marinette..." discretely watching from the corner of his eye Félix can't help but gather amusement from the way Dupain-Cheng seems completely unfazed by the boys embarrassment, "I'm still so embarrassed..."

"There's nothing to worry about Nathaniel," his eyes cut to his desk mate, her tone seems curter than usual talking to the boy and he seems to realise that as well, " It's in the past, sure it happened but lets just move past it."

"Hey um... Marinette? Are you alright?" Pink nervously tapped her fingers on the desk as she spoke, "You seem really out of it to-"

"Wow, Marinette you know Ladybug? It's weird - she's never mentioned you before."

Next to him he spots how Dupain-Cheng's body locks up at the grating 'sweetness' in Rossi's voice, but her eyes burn with anger; much like they had the night before when she'd argued with Césaire.

Silently and far too calm Dupain-Cheng stands up and when her head turns to him Félix is all too happy to move out of her way. He learnt his lesson yesterday - you do not get in Dupain-Cheng's way when she's angry.

Once she's out of her seat she stands next to the desk, bag on her back, phone in hand open on a recording app. He takes that as his que to pack up and get ready to go.

"She never mentioned me Lila, because she had no reason to." The girl takes a few steps down and for once in the three days he's been here there aren't any obstructions in her path, "I'm not Ladybug's friend, I'm merely someone who exchanged some sweet treats for a favour for my friend."

Rossi starts to prattle on then, something about how she can't be sure Dupain-Cheng isn't just convincing people that she knows Ladybug for attention, he can't help the comment that he lets slip, "She can't have the attention off of her for _five minutes_."

The three teens still stood near him turns their eyes on him in shock and Félix doesn't care, merely flickers his eyes to them momentarily before locking his gaze back on his desk mate.

"Well if you're so adamant that you know Ladybug why don't you get Alya more interviews? Surely that's something you could do?"

He can't see her face properly, she's too far forward, but when he stands up and makes his way to Dupain-Cheng's side he thinks he can make out a smirk.

"You're Ladybug's best friend why don't _you_ get Alya interviews?"

Confrontations don't work with Rossi, but this is an excellent opportunity to kick start the classes realisation.

"I- you! How could I ask my _best friend_ to constantly put aside her civilian duties to have interviews? I'd be a horrible friend!"

Upon reach the girls side Félix can tell she is most certainly smirking. Piling on the good guy act he smiles sweetly and internally relishes in how uncomfortable Adrien looks and the small shiver of disgust the act draws from Rossi, "But wouldn't it be so much worse if a near stranger constantly begged your _best friend_ Lila?

The liar has more than a few choice words to say to him, that much he can tell easily, but poor _poor_ Rossi can't say them. Perhaps he's being sadistic but it's so fun.

"Well yes! But why would Marinette tell everyone she knew Ladybug-"

"Marinette didn't tell anyone... The bugspot did an article on it and mentioned a reference from my Ladybug exclusive interview..."

And there was Félix think that this day was going to be the same song and dance as the last few. Césaire is sat in her seat, phone hanging limp in her hands (it's in a different case to the one she'd had before), but her voice holds conviction and though her eyes seem to be wavering she's making an obvious effort of keeping eye contact with Rossi.

Running the risk of sounding particularly rude and horrid, Félix has to wonder if Dupain-Cheng has actually smacked some sense into the reporter.

" _Alya,_ don't talk if your face hurts, there's no need to put yourself through any _pain_."

Rossi's words are venom, scolding and acidic, and a truth he hadn't wanted to address is more prominent now. Césaire is also a victim in this; it's so easy to point the finger and say who is good and who is evil but that isn't true.

Césaire fell victim to Rossi, and now that she's showing an ounce of defiance intentionally or otherwise she's being threatened.

Right now Félix doesn't want to leave his partner on her own, Dupain-Cheng can defend herself but the aftermath of her argument yesterday still burns in the backs of his eyelids, but he has plans for Césaire and right now would be the prefect time to try and put them into play.

"Well Césaire, if you're still in pain I'd be more than happy to accompany you to get an ice pack." He dials up the 'cheer' in his smile but his tone is the same synthetic thing it's been all day so far, "Only if you're comfortable with me escorting you of course."

Seemingly seeing him as her only escape the reporter quickly agrees and after a silent exchange with Dupain-Cheng he's good to go. "I'll meet you at the bakery after helping out Césaire, okay?"

He keeps the false tone and he takes minimal amusement from the mild look of 'disgust' in Dupain-Cheng's eyes as he plays the kindest, most initially misunderstood blond pretty boy there is.

If he keeps this up he just might give Adrien a run for his money.

Not.

* * *

Alya doesn't like the way Félix smiles at her, or how his words sound ever so _sweet and kind_ like he hadn't sucker punched her with his words a few days ago.

It's unnerving, a complete redo of his real personality and its clearly in retaliation to Lila going _on and on and **on**_ about how this false mask is the real Félix. If her arguments with Marinette and Nora hadn't already caused cracks in her perception this stark difference certainly would have.

But she hates it. Because _why_.

Why is Lila weaving this tall tale? Why had she lied about Marinette's potentially criminal actions and... and what else has she really been lying about.

In all honesty Alya is too scared to go through the Ladyblog and fact check, she should be emboldened by the claims of falsehoods, her inner investigative journalist near foaming at the mouth at the prospective of uncovering the truth but she's **_petrified_**.

She doesn't want to have cultivated a liar.

She doesn't want to be responsible for her once best friend becoming depressed (Nora was still going through her depression she _knew the signs fucking damn it!_ ) or at least having some part in the wrecking of her mind.

She doesn't want to have let herself be deceived and that's perhaps the most selfish part of it all.

Alya wants to think the worst of Marinette because it would mean she herself wasn't a bad person. But the thing is... if she's thinking like that how could she possibly even constitute as a good person to anybody's standards?

These thoughts sweep through her mind as Félix escorts her to the school nurse, as the lanky blond waits with her and starts up one sided mindless chatter and finally when the pack is placed on her face and the dull ache starts to fade for a little while she speaks.

"What do you want Félix, you aren't being kind out of the goodness of your heart."

The English boy hums, like they have all the time in the world to have this lackadaisical conversation. Maybe they do, maybe Marinette had known from the second Félix steeped next to her that the blond was going to chat with her in private.

Alya doesn't want to know the answer. Alya just wants to know the other girl again; she isn't too sure if she deserves to though.

"You're a victim in this as well," ' _victim'_ why did the word burn her like he was branding it into her forehead, "I'm not too blinded to see that, right now Dupain-Cheng is, but she's hurting so I believe we can give her a free pass this once."

Unexpectedly the boys voice seems to soften, it becomes real if she's so bold as to assume it, as he talks about Marinette but she knows this isn't a suggestion, Félix is deciding for the both of them.

"When Dupain-Cheng and yourself had your argument you asked me 'what did I know?' citing my lack of substantial time spent at school," Alya shifted the ice pack on her face, not sure how to feel about the topic of conversation, "I'd like to give a real answer to your question."

"..."

"I know, Césaire, that in situations like this people don't always have a happy ending. Sometimes they cause their own ending." Ice rocketed through her chest and Alya could feel her mouth dry up at the implications before her.

"What do I know...? I _know_ Césaire that I'm not letting anymore parents lose their daughter's."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot sec since I last updated this (3 months to be exact) and really my only excuse is that I decided to drop out of the fandom for those months and focus on my BNHA series - said serious is currently on temp hiatus until November until I finish it and it takes on permanent Hiatus. By late December I *MAY* have more updates out on this but that isn't a promise or a confirmed schedule because I may or may not (school during the pandemic is weird guys) have exams to contend with so who knows.  
> Moving on:
> 
> WARNING:  
> MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND SELF HARM NOTHING IS EXPLICITLY SHOWN ALYA JUST THINKS ABOUT THEM AS CONCEPTS
> 
> ALSO I'VE HAD THE SMILE EXCHANGE IN MY HEAD SINCE THIS CONCEPT FIRST POPPED INTO MY HEAD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> khtî means sister is the Darija (Moroccan Arabic) word for sister, I head canon the Césaire family as Moroccan so that's why I added it.

Alya had never focused on the idea of suicide before; with Nora having depression it had always been a taboo concept - something she’d refused to acknowledge for fear that just thinking about it would evoke it into reality.

Not to mention with two baby sisters in the house, a depressed older sister and mostly absent parents there wasn't anyone with the mental capacity to actually sit there and explain just what caused it and why people felt it was even an option. But just because she's never focused on it doesn't mean Alya doesn't know what it means.

It doesn't mean she's stupid enough to not know what Félix is implying.

He's saying he thinks Marinette might hurt herself - _ has she already hurt herself? _ \- He's saying he thinks Marinette might do something she can't come back from. 

And he's saying it like he's seen it before, he won't let anyone else... which implies that he blames himself for someone dying -  _ there's no reason to lie about something like that-  _ there's no reason to insinuate something like that about Marinette.

"As I said before, Dupain-Cheng is too blinded to see you're also a victim in this, but I propose we work together. You're both Rossi's victims and I'm nothing if not generous."

It isn't the blond's real smile when he shoots her a grin and it makes her uncomfortable in a way she doesn't quite understand.

"You don't look as genuine with that smile."

It’s rude, she’s half aware of that amongst the processing and lack of filter.

Félix’s expression shifts into something rather blank but tinged with smugness as he watches her before picking up her bag, which had been dumped on the ground next to his, and tossing it to the chair next to her.

She receives another smile then,  _ false _ ; too large and it splits his face nearly in half and sends a shiver up her spine as something so wholly familiar and yet unseen hits her about the expression. It takes her a few seconds to realise it looks just like Adrien’s smiles, and his eyes have  _ something  _ in them and concealed daggers wink at her in them.

  
  


"That's the point Césaire.” In what must have been a mocking display the smile widened, “Now let's get to business yes? Your boyfriend is surely worried and I have a lunch meeting to get to."

Césaire's aren't particularly religious, but Alya feels like she's selling her soul when she agrees to listen to Félix's proposal - and she finalizes the contract when he then agrees to said conditions.

Blasphemy probably isn't supposed to feel so liberating, but then again she isn't religious so she wouldn't know.

What she does know, really  _ really _ knows, is that Félix looks much more likeable and much more like a normal teenage boy when he smiles genuinely when he checks his phone, waving almost mockingly as he announces he's being summoned. It's clearly Marinette and she doubts the girl is summoning anyone. But it's a small insight into Félix Culpa, some small confirmation that this boy cares -  _ he's cared when she hadn't _ \- and unlike the other day annoyance doesn't swell up at the confirmation but rather acceptance.

She still can't bring herself to check the Ladyblog and fact check, she's too petrified of what she'll find, but... but maybe she can be _ better _ . Félix had said she was a victim, that she'd done wrong but that she wasn't solely to blame and that- that means she can try and be better right? Marinette won't forgive her - not right now and.... possibly never.

It hurts, it really really hurts knowing she probably won't be forgiven but considering that a few hours prior she'd been trying to convince herself that it was better to assume the worst of Marinette than it was to fact check it makes sense why she wouldn't be forgiven.

-*-

Félix slips out of the nurses office, bag on back, with little issue. Dupain-Cheng is waiting for him in the bakery which he finds vaguely humorous. It had in fact been his win in the bet, on a technicality of course but Félix is a man of technicalities, and yet he had automatically said the bakery.

He should really broaden his horizons, Allegra had been bothering him to check out some niche French café she’d seen on an Instagram aesthetic post and he was growing concerned that if he didn’t visit it for her she would get the Eurostar to France and force him to do it. However he couldn’t deny that the warmth that exuded from Dupain-Cheng's home was something he’d missed.

Not to say his own home was cold, far from it. But there had been… a pit after Bridgette. A void of regret and self-loathing. Dupain-Cheng was  _ not  _ a stand in or a replacement because she wasn’t his friend and she would never be  _ Bridgette.  _

But Félix could admit that perhaps he was abusing the new found trust his business partner had in him to leech off of the warmth her and her family enveloped everyone who stepped into their home with.

Perhaps it was selfish but Félix wouldn’t be the one to mention it.

“Félix! Félix!!”

Rossi’s voice is saccharine somewhere ahead of him and it takes years of holding his composure to absolute perfection to not let his mask of absent-minded kindness slip - It would ruin the plan if people saw that he was being pedantic with Rossi.

“Yes?” his phone burns in his pocket but he spots about three sheep trailing behind the wolf so he puts it aside for a few seconds, “Do you need anything Rossi, I’m meeting Dupain-Cheng for lunch.” 

A displeased sneer crosses her face for a fraction of a second before it’s carefully tucked away behind her own false kindness and stage makeup- he has to hand it to her, she’s very good at faking the ‘bruise’ with makeup. If she wasn’t so aggravating and such a liar he would have been inclined to shove her in his mother’s direction; makeup artists with skill are a hot commodity at the moment. 

Such a shame.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day,” Rossi holds her hand out at him and seems to think he’ll be trapped by some sort of societal convention, “how about we start over? I’m Lila Rossi, it’s  _ lovely  _ to meet you.”   
  
Rossi says all this, with a smile on her face like she isn’t trying to poison his uncle against him, like she didn’t threaten to  _ destroy him  _ days prior, like she isn’t fully aware that Félix knows exactly what kind of person she is.

_ ‘I hate people like you,’  _ he thinks, mentally sneering at her, ‘ _ I  _ **_despise_ ** _ people like you and I’m going to enjoy  _ **_ruining_ ** _ you.’  _

Bridgette was  _ killed  _ by people like Rossi being allowed to do whatever they wanted without consequence. His  _ first friend  _ was killed because Félix thought that Bridgette was strong enough to deal with people like Rossi - Félix’s complacency had killed his best friend and he’d never forgive himself for that.

Maybe he’s using Dupain-Cheng as penitence or maybe he’s just grown that spine he always claims Adrien never had. Either way…

“I don’t believe we got off on the wrong foot at all Rossi, actually I think we understand each other  _ perfectly. _ ”

He gives the outstretched hand a final glance before briefly looking at the herd and mentally assuring himself that he’s done nothing that these people could misinterpret. With that he moves away, never leaving his back open to her, “We’ll see each other in class I’m sure.”

When he leaves he swears the phantom feeling of unseen eyes on him returns and it doesn’t leave even as he nods at Mr. Dupain-Cheng, and makes his way up to the family’s home where he finds Dupain-Cheng herself sprawled on the floor with sheets and reference magazine’s surrounding her like a ritual circle.

_ Fey.  _ His mind provides and he still finds the idea amusing.

“Do you still need me to teach you my ways Dupain-Cheng? You seemed very confident when you were standing up to Rossi before.”

The girl groans at him, waving him off with a rather rude gesture and Félix finds himself chuckling at it. Blue eyes open slowly, narrowed at him from where they watch him from the floor, from how the girl is laid down he’s surely looking upside down to her, “I presumed it’d take longer to hear you laugh.”

It’s audacious and yet humorous and he finds another chuckle let slip, “Today’s been rather stressful.”

“Today’s been rather stressful.” She gives a small nod and then closes her eyes and throws an arm over her eyes seemingly succumbing to the stress of the day.

He moves to the couch near where Dupain-Cheng is sprawled and places his satchel on the floor before sitting down and attempting to uphold some level of proprietary before the annoyance of the day crashes into him and he’s overwhelmed by the warmth and affection that permeates the very essence of the Dupain-Cheng living room. 

Soon enough he’s sinking into the couch, slouching and acting very much unlike himself. But then again, today had been rather stressful and it’s been a long time since he’d properly thought about Bridgette..

“Give me five minutes to get my life together okay?” is called from the floor.

Once more, they’re of the same mind.

-*-

Nora gets a phone call from her sister halfway through the school day and without question she pauses the class she’s teaching; her sister is more important than these boxing lessons. So she makes them practice the combo she just showed them and climbs out the ring, grabbing her phone and pressing it to her ear.

She and Alya hadn’t spoken that morning; and Nora thinks Alya blames her for their mother spending most of the night chewing her out over the full story Nora had given her and the  _ very long and very detailed  _ list Sabine Dupain-Cheng sent her the previous night when the proverbial camel's back was broken.

Because they hadn’t spoken - Alya hadn’t even  _ looked  _ at her- Nora had assumed she was being subjected to the silent treatment, but her little sister is pushing pride aside to phone her and she sounds  _ wrecked. _

_ “Nora I think I’m a horrible person.” _

Immediately Nora scrambles for the pen and pad she knows is in her locker, it’s a clunky action moving and grabbing it and scribbling down the message she needs but she does it, “ _ I- I really messed up didn’t I?” _

Her noise making has grabbed some attention and she throws pleading eyes at her co-worker and shoves the pad at them, ‘ **Put up a potential akuma alert for Francis-Dupont** ’

“I’m not gonna lie Alya…”   
  


_“I’m scared Nora! What- what if I get akumatised and attack Marinette it isn’t_ ** _her_** _fault but what if I just hurt her even more-”_ _  
__  
_ “Shh shh, _Alya, kiddo, khtî_ ** _*_** you aren’t going to hurt anyone. Just focus on me okay? You’re being so brave right now just breathe with me okay? We’ll talk this out.”

  
  


-*-

Alya doesn’t come back to class, she notices and it makes something under her skin  _ itch;  _ some resilient part of her that refuses to stop caring about the girl and demands that she worry and check on Alya.

She can’t though, because Alya isn’t in class and Marinette hasn’t had the other’s phone number in a little under a year now - there had never been abusive messages or cyber bullying but Marinette hadn’t been able to deal with having her once best friends number  _ right there,  _ leaving her like Tantalus with what she desired so close and yet permanently denied to her.

“Maybe it’s for the best that Césaire isn’t at school right now.” her desk mate mutters his words just loud enough for her to hear them and she occupies herself with her newest sketch; it’s the one she started the day of the...argument and there’s  _ something  _ emotional in the sketch that’s been missing from her work for months and so she’s latched onto this design and Marinette will perfect it until she hates it. “After all, Rossi was acting rather viciously before lunch, I’d hate for her to become an akuma.”   
  
“Yeah…” her grip tightens on her pencil and she bites the inside of her cheek when the graphite stains the paper, “Alya’s akuma’s are always hard to deal with.”

She notices the odd and appraising look Félix is giving her but ignores it.

“Mhm, I suppose some people are more emotional than others… Are you sure you’re comfortable with the plan still? While we aren’t exactly settling down for a long winter this might be longer than you wish it to be.”   
  
“I just want to be rid of this mess to be honest.”   
  
“...”   
  
They settle into silence then, Tikki’s little paws and unnatural warmth soak into her through her clothes and handbag but it helps steady her and Marinette allows herself to sink into the comfortable bubble of silence that protects their desk in the back of the room.

Bustier will be here soon and this tranquillity will end soon, but she’ll persevere, 

Yes, she would much prefer to have Lila usurped and that be over and done with; but if her Ladybug time had taught her anything it was that plans for war (and that  _ was  _ what this was wasn’t it? War? They had two opposing factions and ideologies and you had two leaders who were prepared to tear each other's throats out for either their own personal gain or some kind of retribution.

Nobody in her class is a good person, not really. Not anymore.

The room is made up of schemers, liars, bystanders and instigators; mixed together by a wilfully ignorant authority figure and they make for a volatile  _ toxic  _ room and she wants it to  _ end. _

Marinette knows she isn’t innocent in this; she never has been. 

Since her actions were led by her previous crush she’s realised that she can’t play the victim here. It isn’t her fault that Lila Rossi decided to ruin her life but in the way the world works the fact she allowed herself and those around her allowed her to spiral contributed to the destruction; those that she had held dear who either turned their backs completely or averted their eyes are at fault as well, nobody is innocent in this affair.

But just because there is no ‘ _ innocent’  _ party in this war doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be a winner.

Before she can think anymore on it - before she can start to  _ spiral away into anxiety-  _ the Akuma siren goes off and soon everyone is scrambling for their bags and  _ running and running and when do they ever stop running- _

“Come on let's go.”

Félix grabs her by the slight bunch in her cardigan arm and drags the two of them to the door where the English boy stalls seeing the utter chaos going on in the courtyard. People are running into classrooms and across the basketball court, some shout some hiss at others to be silent but the corridors are like a death trap. If they stepped into that together, with how respectful a grip Félix has on her they’d be lost in the crowd. Possibly they wouldn’t see each other till the end of the attack.

Marinette is a rather clumsy person by nature, it’s just a small trip excusable by anyone who knows she has two left feet that both think they should be the right foot.

Félix gets picked up by the sea of students and his hand loses its grip on her and he slips from sight wordlessly amongst the chaos. She steps back and closes the classroom door, locking it behind her and sliding to the floor with her back to the door.

Paris needs Ladybug, Paris needs their superheroes; Marinette Dupain-Cheng needs a minute to breathe.

Knowing that Alya will inevitably be the akuma to greet them does nothing to calm her down but she forces her way through it. Shoving all her stress and anxiety and fear into the little box she keeps in the bottom of her heart she gulps in as much air as she can.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng may need a minute to breath, but Paris needs Ladybug.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry that this has took over a month to get out, really I am but my muse for ML left me so here I am trying.)  
> SO, a superhero heavy chapter today, mainly because the whole superhero action thing will take a little bit of a back seat in this fic, but will still be involved so I decided to make this mainly superhero focused because we've been neglecting the alter egos for a while now.  
> Also, I have Félix be cautious on Marc's pronouns because Marc is confirmed androgynous and so I figured having someone be stumped about pronouns was at least a bit realistic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy friday 13th of our beloved year 2020, I have encountered ladders, open umbrellas and a black cat today so if this chapter fucking crashes I will not be surprised.

"Félix right?"

He wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up shoved and locked inside a classroom with students he'd only ever seen in passing in the hallways but here Félix was. There were some more familiar faces, like the co-writers and faces of the 'Bugspot' (he could admit to having gone on a sort of binge during the time Duapin-Cheng had gone to sort out her 'misunderstanding' -rather dubious he thought that perhaps it wasn't as much a misunderstanding as she wanted to make it out to; the small little smile on her face when she'd described talking with the heroine pushed him to think maybe they were some form of companions or that it was some sort of girlish crush (He can see Allegra snorting at that, quoting some American media with an obnoxiously pitched " _oh my god they're lesbians, Fé!"_ ) but Félix respected that people had secrets and a connection with not one but two of Paris' superheroes was nothing short of putting a target on your back) and the boy (?) who had approached his business partner earlier about the article in question. 

Marc was it?

Félix was often quite good with names but with the sudden stress of being in an akuma attack - _it was real now, this was something that would happen on the regular and yet it still felt rather far away from the rest of the world like suddenly someone would pull back the blanket on Paris play fort where they were all listening intently to some make believe story and that once the curtain was drawn the world would be at ease again-_ and the worry that bit at him for losing Dupain-Cheng his mind was preoccupied.

"That's correct. Marc was it?"

They (and that is the easiest way to go about this) nod and usher him away from the door and the wall of windows, promptly locking them all in. It looks to be an entire class worth of people and something nags in the back of his mind that perhaps there is some kind of akuma protocol that Bustier was supposed to have informed the class about.

"You're friends with Marinette right? I'm guessing she tripped and you lost her in the crowd?" It's his turn to nod, and Marc twists their hands together as they lead him to where the others are sitting behind a barricade of desks with their backs to the walls - Mme. Mendeleiev gives him a quick glance from where she's sat closest to the entrance of the barricade with what looks like a class register-, "Marinette is really clumsy, she'll probably have locked herself in Bustier's classroom again."

Apparently that is a common occurrence and it doesn't sit well with Félix, but that may be because he has yet to see any form of clumsiness from Dupain-Cheng that isn't intentional. And even then it had been tiny inconsequential actions. It seemed far too suspicious that it would be _common_ for the girl to get separated and for no one to truly know where she was at any given point during a crisis.

If he hadn't seen Dupain-Cheng's shutdown days prior he would believe it was an altruistic action; hiding herself away from others in fear that any negative emotions brought up by the attack could make her a secondary problem and that being alone may reduce the risk of anyone being the focus of her ire (rather perversely he can't help but imagine Rossi running around the school courtyard screeching like a Banshee as an enraged and impassioned Dupain-Cheng chased after her - rather rudely the imagined scene turns bitter when he thinks about the backlash that would be waiting when Dupain-Cheng was eventually released from Hawkmoth's grasp.)

Only when he’s sat down between Marc and the writers of the Bugspot does he realise he’s been called Dupain-Cheng’s friend.

While the statement isn’t particularly _true,_ explaining what being business partners was would take up far too much time than Félix is willing to part with, not to mention just because Marc doesn’t appear hostile towards his desk mate doesn’t mean that they won’t go and blather about their plans. Which is _the last_ thing they want or can afford.

Settling down for staying put for who knows how long in what is essentially a domestic attack is rather disconcerting and the fact that many of the teens around him are just pulling their phones out and getting on with it doesn’t help as much as it probably should.

This will be a learning curve no doubt. No matter, he’ll adapt as he needs to.

“So… Félix Cupla right?” The girl on his left breaks the bubble of silence they have amongst the subdued chatter, “Marinette said you’re interested in movies and different types of cuisine, we were hoping to branch out the Bugspot into a legitimate news blog rather than just a hero-centric one. Like I said Marinette recommended you to us as someone who’s insight we would want and-”

Félix stops giving his full attention to the offer, the possible benefits with working alongside a, presumably, trusted information source that still seemed to not be enraptured by Rossi running through his mind. Between playing nice with his uncle and school he has the time and it hits him rather abruptly that this is Dupain-Cheng throwing her own hat into the ring.

Class President truly suits the girl.

Humorously enough this is far sneakier than he’d expected but then again, Dupain-Cheng continued to surprise him.

“I want to set some boundaries but I can see myself working with the two of you.”

The Blonde grins widely, “Fantastic!”

* * *

The blood rushing past her ears and the wind ripping past her body as she flies through Paris’ skyline is indistinguishable, but the beating of her heart (an unsteady war drum sounding like an omen of something she can’t quite see on the horizon of life) is easy to tell apart from the destruction of her city.

Paris has a certain sound when it falls ( _and falls and falls and falls and when will it ever be enough-_ ) there is something melancholy about the symphony of old metal and older stone giving way under itself mixing with the shattering of glass and the crunch of steel beams. The closest Marinette can ever get to describing the sound is remorseful.

It’s almost like Paris is crying for her people, begging for forgiveness for not being strong enough to face the Parisian’s greatest threat herself.

When she finally lands on the closest rooftop to where Alya’s akuma is she finds herself just standing on the edge of the roof, mildly aware of the implications of the drop below her, watching another building collapse under the rampage - listening to the screams of those trapped inside as it goes down.

Alya’s new form seems to be a mix between Lady Wifi and Rena Rouge, and it looks like the phone (Glowing and clasped tightly like it’s a lifeline -and in a way it is- in the akuma’s hand) may be the chosen object again.

Marinette can only hope that this new version of Alya’s akuma form has nothing from Oblivio - which considering Nino had been in class should be impossible because that akuma had been the two of them acting as one.

The wind takes away the last of the screams and morbid silence settles over the city again; all of Paris watching her watching Alya.

 **“MY NAME IS QUEEN BRAZIN AND I DEMAND THE MIRACULI OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR!”** The akuma waves their hand and a gust of wind rockets down the street in front of her, Marinette is just outside of Queen Brazin’s peripheral, and cars go flying and shattering glass fills the void, **“FOR EVERY MINUTE THAT I AM DENIED THE MIRACULOUS I WILL-”**

“QUEEN BRAZEN!” She only really shouts as Ladybug nowadays but guilt floods her when she thinks that the last time she shouted at the girl it was as a civilian in a nasty argument, the akuma turns to face her, tattered costume fluttering in the wind, “Cease this immediately!”

**_“LADYBUG.”_ **

“Don’t let Hawkmoth win! He’s only using you- he’ll never give you what you want; he isn’t strong enough to! If Hawkmoth was truly powerful enough to get you whatever you want then why does he need help getting the miraculous!”

A recent strategy she’d been employing recently was trying to talk down the more cognizant akumas. They were still people and often throughout fights Hawkmoth had to manipulate the akuma’s back to the ‘task at hand’ meaning that there was something left of the original person buried under the miraculous magic.

**“SHUT UP! YOUR WORDS MEAN NOTHING; HAND OVER YOUR MIRACULOUS AND LET ME CONTINUE MY SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH!”**

Now that the akuma had come closer it was easier to make out their design. Black sludge-like tears trailed down Queen Brazen’s face, a contrast against the girls darker skin, and the tattered clothes were revealed to be a trench coat and blouse, trousers and suspenders - leaving the akuma looking like a reporter out of a 1920’s silent film.

“I can’t do that, I’m offering you the peaceful way out one last time. Hand over your akumatized object calmly and nobody needs to get hurt more than they already have.”

**“NO! I CANNOT WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY! I’M GOING TO BLOW YOU ALL AWAY WITH THE TRUTH THAT I DISCOVER!”**

“Alright,” she pulls her yoyo from where she’d slipped it to her waist and begins to swing it, preparing to have to build up momentum, “if this is the way you want to do things.”

“Hey, lady!” Chat Noir’s shout is accompanied by a harsh above head swing of his baton that sends Queen Brazen flying through the air and away from the two of them, though it does little but seem to momentarily cause pause. 

She regains the lost momentum in her yoyo as she throws herself across rooftops edges to to rooftop edges to ensure the gap between hero and akuma is closed. The screams from the last building Queen Brazin had brought down are still ringing in her ears. The faster this is sorted the quirk the miraculous cure can take effect and the quicker everyone can mourn what they haven't really lost, that is the worst and the best part of the fight.

The world will shatter as those that died will relive their last moments before returning to moments before the destruction rained down on them (in the case of the crushed building watching her back it was quite literal) armed with the knowledge of what it felt like to die but without the ability to ever truly comprehend what it was like. She only had a vague sense of what that felt like; that cold kiss that contrasted with the warming embrace and the juxtaposition of silence and agonizing noise in your final moments was something she wouldn't soon forget. Tikki wouldn't let her either, a side effect of the resurrection magic her Kwami had had to perform mid battle once leaving it's mark upon her mind - the only place it _could_ mark a guardian who was protected by so much magic and yet not impervious to the malfunctions of the human psyche.

"Ladybug!" Her eyes flickered over to the cat, watching his movements as he leaped along side her, baton a light weight in his grip, "What caused this one? Alya hasn't been akumatised since Oblivio and we all know how that turned out!"

Her partner gave a weak chuckle upon her lack of response, and while she felt guilty for ignoring Chat's attempt at polite banter the deep rooted _tiredness_ that had taken grip of her the moment the akuma alarm had sounded did nothing but hiss at her to finish the job and ignore the frivolous mundanity of friendship and polite conversation. (In the back of her mind she tries to joke that she's starting to sound like Félix but the joke falls flat even to herself.)

"No talking today either. _Right_..."

"She said something about blowing us away with the _truth_ ," while her words are curt it still serves to cause her partner to perk up, something stabs at her gut as her mind points out that not only is talking wasting time, that it's leaving even more dead, but that she's also leaving her partner in the same position she had found herself in until recently; it's a complex and hostile entanglement of sentiment and cold calculation, "the sources on the bug spot akuma page filled me in. Apparently Césaire got into a fight sometime this week and seemed more upset than usual today. More than likely she's been involved in an argument over an article on her blog."

Queen Brazin is _her fault_ but Ladybug can't say that. Ladybug needs to be infallible even if Marinette is finding it harder to breath by the second. Paris comes first, Paris **_must_** _always_ come first. She isn't just Ladybug anymore, she isn't just some teenager given the offer of partnership with a God anymore. Marinette is one of the few surviving members of a dying organization with no contact with anyone who could possibly help her, who she could possibly let pull her close. Ladybug cannot fall, lest the zodiac guardians fall with her.

Eventually, maybe after Hawkmoth is gone - if she lasts that long- she'll train Chat, finally look for people who are willing to learn and protect the mystical creatures that watch over their world with open curiosity as they survey all that their creations have spawned and all that they have torn down in the endeavour of evolution and natural selection.

Briefly she wonders if the Monks in the Tebetan temple would approve of her; or if for once someone would deny her her place at this empty table not because of inexperience but because the world of spiritualists was no place for broken child soldiers who couldn't do anything but play into the hands of a corrupted user.

It's a distant fleeting thought. It's gone by the time Chat blinks at her in response to her words.

"So it's similar to Lady Wifi then? That's good, let's hope she doesn't try and kidnap Chloe this time."

A small olive branch, a reminder of simpler times where she would end this chase ( and Queen Brazin is getting too far away she's not fast enough _why isn't she fast enough-_ ) with a flick to ' _chatons'_ nose and a wink before running off to start their half formed conspiracy of a plan. It had been a long time since either of them had experienced that kind of intimate friendship.

She can't bring herself to do it, but her jaw cooperates enough for her to push a few words out, "As long as you don't confuse anyone for me we should be fine."

The cat gawks for a few seconds, eyes roaming her face for something - probably the girl he's lost to the guardians, maybe the girl he used to love or the girl who would be appalled with herself to be this curt and rude to her ' _chaton' **unfortunately that girl is dead and has been since the first time she died. Perhaps nightmares were not the only repercussion of messing with the time of someone's demise.**_ \- before a weak grin curls on his lips. If she's a shadow of what Ladybug had been then the smile is a wisp of her Chaton's once broad smirk, one that had been shared only between the two of them. Something pulls and aches and yet rests back and finally slots in again all at once it's been over a year since she's seen that expression and even if it isn't a true smirk it will do enough to spur her through this fight.

"I do believe, my lady, that it is impurrsable for me to mistake anyone for your beautiful visage."

The flirt doesn't have the same romantic edge to it and for that she is grateful. Now she can take the compliment without feeling like she's swallowing sludge right along side it.

"See you on the other side."

Chat's smirk widens ever so slightly and his laugh is something a bit more _him._

"Which one?" He falls off the roof and for a moment her heart stops - seeing him on the edge of the Eiffel tower speaking to Plagg in hushed tones asking if he jumped did the Kwami think she'd miss him instead of a cat with a near impenetrable super suit on.- before his laughter rings out and his staff shatters a cobble stone as it elongates in his lithe grasp shooting him high above her in an arch, "I have nine!"

The step she takes off the roof gives her a kind of adrenalin rush she hasn't felt since she was thirteen.

-*-

The fight against Queen Brazin is _long, tiresome_ and leaves holes in her patchwork resolve. Buildings (streets worth scattered across the city like toy block towers crumbling under a tantrum) are rebuilt, people are brought back to life and Paris weeps her gratitude; unscheduled rain breaching the heavens and washing away the miasma that an akuma always leaves behind.

Somewhere behind her, where an imposing structure of glass and greed had been rebuilt, a sob calls out piercing her in short lived relief. Someone that had taken awhile had finally woken up then. The Miraculous cure was in fact a miracle and yet it could only revert the damage an akuma had caused themselves; a young boy ( ** _Manon's age -he had been Manon's age and his favourite colour had been purple because his mother had dyed her hair that colour before her illness made it fall out and he'd been called Jasper. He was called Jasper, he'd been Manon's age, his favourite colour had been purple and she'd attended his funeral as ladybug, and later his mothers_** ) had been run over by a driver spooked by an akuma and the miraculous cure could do nothing to save a life taken by a non-akuma.

The aftermath was the worst part of the fight.

Paris wept; a chill ripping through her people and Ladybug watched Alya cry with their great city.

Bawling tears that gave no time for a hiccup and sobs, only allowing half grasped breaths and snot. Instinct instructed her to walk up to the girl, to bundle her up in her arms and tell her that everything would be alright, that Hawkmoth couldn't hurt her anymore. But this was Alya's what? Fifth akumatization? (Lady Wifi, her reakumatization into Lady Wifi due to Manon, Oblivio, Heroe's Day and now... so yes her fifth akumatization) Telling the girl a lie would do nothing for her, false words were not something Marinette found herself in the business of.

That was why it was better to find ways to not have to lie, while never truly revealing all the cards she kept close to her chest. She wondered that if she kept said cards any closer for any longer if even she herself would grow blind to what was printed upon them.

It certainly felt like it watching Alya cry in the rain, her instincts telling her to comfort while her mind told her to hold her ground, to refuse to move forward because she didn't _want_ to offer sympathy. Marinette didn't want to offer a shoulder to cry on, to offer to be a sounding board and have to listen as her name is dragged through the _mud_ by someone who hurt her- Marinette is not prepared to stand there and listen as her guilt is laid bare before her, she is unprepared to listen to listen to Alya's version of events and not scream out a biased opinion. Maybe that makes her weak.

( _Maybe that makes her human,_ she muses and isn't that funny? Being human is the biggest weakness a Guardian can harbour; _but she's too much of a coward to even entertain the thought of stripping_ _herself of her humanity_ , of the integral love and joy and disturbing fear she encounters each and every day for longevity and supposed magical prowess.)

" ** _I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! I JUST WANTED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I DID WRONG-_** " A harsh hiccup cuts the girl off and her feet lead her to the collapsed girl before her mind can disregard the action and she pulls an umbrella that she always keeps in her yoyo out, standing like a silent sentinel keeping the rain from the sobbing girl, though the two of them are already so soaked through that it's nothing more than symbolic at this point, " ** _I just wanted to apologize?! Why- why does Hawkmoth have to taint everything- I'm - Marinette I'm so sorry!_** "

The apology, though not directly aimed at her right this second latches onto a stray thread, tugs at it and threatens to unravel her scarf of emotions but she unhooks it, cradles the loose thread before cutting it and tying it off. The flash of a camera in the rain catches her attention and rage bubbles up in her chest.

Paris is crying for her people, _a fifteen year old girl is bawling on a rooftop,_ people are coming back from the dead and someone is _recording Alya crying and letting out the emotions that Hawkmoth took advantage of - **someone is taking advantage of Alya's emotions**_ and Marinette doesn't know if she has any forgiveness in her or sympathy for Alya but she is the holder of the Ladybug miraculous, one of two protectors of Paris - a figment of a bygone era and culture but most importantly she is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her heart is too big, it hurts too much, it loves too much, and Alya had a place in her heart once, one that is worn and torn from the sudden vicious departure of its resident and Marinette does not think she'll ever let her back in but how _dare_ someone take advantage of Alya!?

Chat comes up to her and none too kindly she shoves the umbrella in his hand. Alya looks up at the 'oof' the cat gives out at the rough action but she's gone not looking back as she stalks across the rooftop to where the camera lens peers out.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Marinette is fifteen, but the full grown man she picks up by the back of his shirt must be in his thirties at least. He looks afraid, it only solidifies in her that she is not a good person because she can't help but think that it's _good_ that this man double her age is scared of her. Has he ever been akumatized? She doesn't think so; the faces don't blur together for her she remembers each one - remembers each face and name and a singular defining (humanizing) fact about them and she does the same for those she can't save- and this man does not look familiar.

"Ah! Ladybug, you see ah- well I know you have a policy of not talking to reporters until after the paramedics have dealt with the akuma victim so I figured I'd get footage from afar-"

"Have you called for an ambulance?"

"Well no-"

She drops the cameraman, he shrieks like a child before realising that she hasn't dropped him off the side of a building and rather onto the rooftop he had been filming moments prior, "So you thought you would _film_ a crying _child_ instead of phoning for help!?" Composure had been flimsy to begin with but now it is reduced to nothing but broken shards washed away by the rain and Paris mournful tears, "You _thought_ that it was a good idea to take advantage of someone's compromised emotional state for your own gain rather than call for help!?"

"Hey now Ladybug, that makes me sound like Hawkmoth!"

"Am I wrong?"

The camera is still recording all this she thinks distantly. All that sounds is the rain on slate rooftiles, rain on concrete, the wailing of emergency service vehicles and the breathing of the three on the roof with her. The cameraman gapes at her, a million emotions flitting across his face as he stares up at her but Marinette does not care.

She has no room in her heart for forgiveness right now, but she has room for disgust for people like Hawkmoth- for people like Lila who take advantage of people and then parade themselves as only doing the right thing. The world can scorn her for what she's said today, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng has not been allowed to breath but she can be allowed to feel. And feel she does.

"Ladybug!" A paramedic - she knows most of their voices now, knows almost all their faces- calls out to her and she leaves the man on the roof looking over the edge to see an ambulance and two paramedics waiting for Alya, "Is everything alright? Do we need urgent care??"

"She's not gone into shock so we should be fine, Chat will drop her done I need to _talk_ to a reporter who decided a story was more important than an akuma victims privacy."

The paramedics faces twist, on more than one occasion when this kind of thing had first happened she'd still been new to this, still new to responsibility and the fear of not appearing to be a poster girl was almost debilitating she had quietly mentioned to the paramedics about people to look out for and the news had quickly spread through the paramedics to other emergency services and eventually media outlets who - in a desperate act to save face- had called for justice for the victims and for media workers (be that interviewers or camera people) to be punished for breaking a victims privacy, now she knew to talk loudly, to let the people knew what was going on because even if the outlets admonished it it never stopped them.

"Meet back up tonight m'lady?" Chat's hand is light on her shoulder and she nods without looking away from the paramedics for a few seconds. Her partner and Alya slip past her like spirits and she turns to the cameraman.

"Now, where was I?"

He trembles and she distantly thinks that maybe her stance on this affair is flawed but at the end of the day rage and spite is what has kept her going for so long now, it's terribly hard to put a cap on it all. She won't hurt anyone but that doesn't mean her words won't sting.

* * *

Somewhere across Paris the residents of the miracle box fall silent as their Guardian's rage burns brighter than it had for a long time.

They are not supposed to reveal in this sort of thing, after all a prerequisite of a Guardian is not allowing yourself to be controlled by your emotions. But they allow it this once, enjoy it even. Because one of their own has cared for the one the rage is protecting, and even if their kit is no longer worthy of wielding them Trixx knows that their Ladybug will keep their kit safe and that is more than enough for them to give their blessing to the Guardian for this _'unbecoming'_ rage.

* * *

"Ladybug?"

Chat lands behind her and she keeps her grip on the railing in front of her loose, something tells her that if she doesn't she'll have crunched it in her hands by the end of this conversation.

"We need to talk, our partnership isn't working the way it should-"

"Ladybug what are you going on about!?"

She sighs, flexes her hands around the railing and focuses on Dupoint in the distance, "Our partnership has become strained over the past year and we need to change that. We've both changed since we started." it hurts to get the words out so she takes a deep breath and uncurls her hands before turning with one outstretched to the cat, "Hello, I'm Ladybug wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous and Guardian of the miracle box."

The boy watches her hand almost cautiously before something almost familiar flits across his face and he takes her hand in his grasping it firmly like if he lets go she'll be gone in a puff of smoke, "Nice to meet you Ladybug. My names Chat Noir and I'm the wielder of the Black cat miraculous, confidant to the Guardian of the miracle box."

Words tumble out before she can stop them, "He _trained you_?"

Green eyes narrow into harsh slits and for a few moments she's reminded of Lila's eyes before the anger is directed away from her, "He told me you'd come to me when you needed me - but he didn't even tell you? He _left you_ without anyone to help you?"

All Marinette can do is laugh at that, stalling the agitation of the cat, "It's not like it's the first time someone's done that."

"I'm glad you can laugh m'lady. It's been too long."


End file.
